Meet Grace Cadogen, a remarkable 15-year-old student from Springbank School, currently in year 11.
Grace’s journey with the Tucker began when she decided to fundraise for the Tucker at the Ultimate Russell Cake Bake Off Competition in Russell Town Hall last year, she amazingly raised $5,800 for the Trust! It was a delightful event that brought the community together for a great cause.
We asked her what motivated her to take up this cause? She told us that some of her friends had participated in the programme before and all loved it. Intrigued by their experiences, Grace knew she wanted to get involved and contribute in her own way.
From there, she applied to join a 7-day Youth Development Voyage, in May 2023. Sponsored by Rotary Club of Bay of Islands, she embarked on her own adventure with 11 other Trainees on a special Top Energy Leadership voyage.
Grace describes her experience in one word as ‘incredible’, telling us “I experienced something that not many kids get to, and I loved my fellow peers”. The bond she formed with her peers was strong, and the memories they created together will undoubtedly last a lifetime.
The Tucker pushes our Trainees to challenge themselves, there was a particular moment during the Tucker Challenge that pushed Grace to overcome her fear. “A time that I had to push myself would definitely be when I was completing the Tucker Challenge because I don’t like heights, but before going on board I told myself that I needed to complete it before the end of the voyage and I did I ended up completing it on day 3 I was very proud of myself”, says Grace.
Leadership is a quality that often develops through challenging experiences. Reflecting on her time on board, Grace says “During this voyage I grew as a leader by becoming more confident in myself and speaking up. I was also much quieter before the voyage and by the end I was a lot more like a leader, I put my hand up to do things even if they were out of my comfort zone.”
Grace embraced opportunities that took her out of her comfort zone, willingly raising her hand to take on tasks and get involved, even when it was challenging. Her transformation into a more confident and proactive Trainee showed and we’re super proud of her and all of our Trainees.
Grace will be fundraising for the Tucker again at the next Russell Bake Off, held in the Russell Town in October during Labour Weekend. Thank you Grace, firstly, for fundraising and raising money for the Trust, and secondly, for embarking and making the most out of this opportunity. Keep shining!
