Riley Parnell
Riley Parnell
Age: 15
School: Otorohanga College
Riley first took up netball during her very first year of school, when she was just five years old. Now, ten years later, she still loves it. She’s in the A Team at her school, and is a big fan of the Waikato Magic team - though she hardly ever gets to watch them play.
Things are tough in Riley’s family. Until recently, Riley’s family (her parents, and six siblings) were living with her nan. But nan has her hands full caring for one of her children who needs full-time medical care.
Riley’s family have since moved on, but they’re struggling.
They’re now living with a family friends while they look for a home of their own. Her mum Patrice works at Mcdonalds. Dad is looking for work but small towns don’t offer a lot of opportunity, it’s hard to make ends meet.
Whilst Riley is hugely passionate about her netball, food, shelter, and heating are higher priorities in life. Without support netball is going to be sacrificed this year.
Amazingly, Riley’s positive attitude shines through. She’s a smart girl, very confident, and a huge part of the social dynamic of the Otorohanga Open A netball team. She excels at maths and science at Otorohanga College and has aspirations to one day be a nurse. Riley has spent a lot of time in hospitals with family members and wants to help those who are in pain.
Riley doesn’t need much to be happy, but letting her sport fall to the wayside would be a huge blow. She needs some assistance getting her subs paid, new shoes, and funding for an inter school tournament coming up in August. The Waterboy are seeking sponsors to help us support Riley. We think she has the potential to go on to support her family and achieve great things in the future. We passionately believe that sport is a huge part of personal and character development. We believe that if we are able to keep Riley in sport we will help change lives and make the future of the Otorohanga community a little bit stronger. Who’s with us?!
Location:
Otorohanga - South Waikato/King Country
Sport:
Netball
Barrier:
Financial
