Who we are
Angel Casts support parents, family and whanau through the loss of a child, by creating tangible keepsakes for bereaved parents, in the form of ink prints and hand and feet stone casts. These 3D stone replicas are exact impressions, capturing every line and wrinkle, including fingerprints and skin texture, preserving a perfect likeness of that child to comfort and support mums and dads in grief.
We have been operating as a community group since 2013, and registered as a charity (CC52962) since 2016 after the need for bereavement support and memory making around child loss was identified in the Waikato. |
What we do
Our casts are made from resin based stone which captures every tiny detail, from fine lines and wrinkles to fingerprints and skin texture. Each are lovingly hand made from a mould taken of the childs hands and feet, when they've passed away. This is done at their location of choice, either at a local hospital, funeral home, or family home.
We offer families two sets of hand and feet casts (8 casts total) – one set freestanding to hold and touch, and one set custom framed with photos and keepsakes. This is a free service for families within the Waikato, with children aged from 18 weeks gestation through to 12 years old. |
Why this matters
Being able to preserve the physical memory of a child, that a parent can hold and recognise as their own, gives mums and dads something physical to put their hands on that they can share with their family and friends, positively channeling grief, and offering a forum in which to talk.
Parents we work with regularly express how these casts have been instrumental in their grieving process, as well as helping with their other children's understanding. Angel Casts strive to create a positive experience around memory making in loss, bringing families together and connecting community with shared experiences. |
Our People
Jen Christiansen
|
Jen founded Angel Casts in 2013, when she and husband Aaron first
saw a need in their community for memory making services around child loss. Since then, Jen has stepped into her role as manager, while her husband, Aaron, sits on the trust. Together they have seen the charity grow from a ‘kitchen table project’, to requiring its own fully equipped studio with many volunteers needed to continue its operations. Jen’s primary tasks have been very hands on in the day-to-day running of the charity. Jen has personally attended to almost 400 Waikato families who have suffered the loss of a child, so has been privileged to see first hand the value of tangible memories. She is very grateful for the support she has recieved from local businesses, grant bodies and trusts, and in particular the support from like minded individuals who make up the Angel Casts team of volunteers and board of trustees. |
Aaron Christiansen
|
Aaron is one of the original founders of Angel Casts, along with his wife Jen. He has been an integral part of the charity’s formation and whakapapa. Aaron serves on the trust as Deputy Chairperson, as well as volunteers on the ground in the studio. He is our sole custom framer, carefully designing and assembling frames to house our precious casts, customised for each family.
Aaron and Jen have 5 young children, Max (11), Ashton (8), Zac (6), Fox (4), Abby (1), and work from their home studio to maximise family time. Aaron is a freelance artist, and an active member in the arts community in Hamilton and New Zealand. He is currently working on his own books, illustrations and comics, as well as organising events such as the Hamilton Zinefest, supporting self publishing from independent artists and writers. |
Virginia Pak (Ginni)
|
Ginni has been with Angel Casts since it began in 2014, helping to turn Jen’s initial vision into a sustainable reality. She has been a huge driving force behind the formation and establishment of the trust, helping to create processes and procedures around the charities activities in the community, and has been invaluable for our fundraising efforts. Ginni has given her time in many forms over the years, first working in the studio on casts, meeting with families who have suffered a loss, taking full responsibility of 24/7 callouts at length, serving on the board of trustees in key decision making, as well as organising events and fundraising.
Ginni is currently employed full time as a Registered Nurse in primary care and skin cancer medicine. She has recently welcome her first baby, Osten, with her partner Sam. |
Ken Stephens
|
A partner at KPMG, Ken works with a diverse range of clients and everyday sees first-hand our region's great strength in producing, attracting and encouraging people and organisations with a strong sense of purpose, and who have the ambition and attitude to make good things happen. Late in 2015, KPMG got involved to help establish Angel Casts as a charitable trust and to provide on-going pro-bono accounting services. This lead Ken to become a very valued member of the Angel Casts team, now in both roles as a trustee and as treasurer.
Ken's had roles with KPMG in London and the USA, and spent six years in a senior finance role with Fonterra. In 2014 Ken was recognised as a Fellow of Chartered Accountants ANZ. Ken received the 2013 NZICA Leadership Award for Innovation. Ken is also a trustee and treasurer of Momentum Waikato. Ken lives in Hamilton with his wife Cynthia and their three young boys. |
Laura Monahan
|
Laura has been on the Board of Trustees for Angel Casts Charitable Trust since its inception in 2015. Laura joined the board because she genuinely sympathises with parents, families and whānau who suffer the loss of a child, and wanted to be able to help in some small way.
Laura is a Senior Associate in the Commercial Team at McCaw Lewis Lawyers in Hamilton, and also serves on another local charitable board. She spends her free time running around after her two daughters Darcy, 5 and Briar, nearly 2, and hanging out with her husband Phil. She also enjoys making Instagram videos of her cat, Benny. |
Karlena Best
|
Karlena serves on the board of trustees for Angel Casts, and was involved in its establishment in 2015. She has been a valuable part of key decision making, helping to form processes, strategies and developing the culture of the trust.
Karlena graduated as a Registered Nurse in 2003, and for the past 12 years has worked in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, caring for some most critical and fragile babies. Karlena was an integral part of the introduction of Angel Casts services to NICU |
Vicki Hill
|
Vicki joined Angel Casts as a volunteer after responding to the call for more hands in August 2018. She assists in the studio, both with casts and administration, and is currently in training to attend callouts and meet with bereaved families. Vicki has been privileged to photograph a number of births, and has lost a number of close family members herself, and therefore deeply understands the importance of tangible memories.
Vicki is the Manager of Wondernauts, (a not-for-profit childcare centre) and has been with this amazing organisation for the past 10 years. She also serves on the board of trustees for both Wondernauts and Volunteering Waikato. |
Callie Hely
|
Callie started as a studio volunteer early 2018, carefully detailing and painting casts, preparing them to be finished and sent home to families. More recently, she has taken on an active role attending to call-outs and meeting with families to create casts of their child.
Callie is originally from South Africa, and has a background working in the health and disability sector, which she says has allowed her to share her passion for making a difference in people’s lives. |
Andrea Lane
|
Andrea joined the team in 2018, and gives her time both as an on-call volunteer as well as working in the studio finishing casts.
Andrea is a trained social worker and spent many years supporting families who have children with disabilities. Currently she facilitates Mental Health First Aid courses, where she teaches people how to support those living with mental illness and how to help individuals in a crisis. Her and husband Jo have four children. In her spare time she runs a home business, and enjoys spending time with friends, going to the gym, crafting and spending time with her family. |
Leone Farquhar
|
Leone became a trustee of the Angel Casts Charitable Trust when it was first established because she recognised the amazing work that Jen and Aaron were doing, and wanted to contribute at the Board level. She has three young children and was extremely touched by the service that Angel Casts provides to families who have suffered the loss of a child. She wanted to use her knowledge and skills as a lawyer to help build on what Jen and Aaron had started and ensure the Trust's future sustainability.
Leone is an Associate at Harris Tate Lawyers in Tauranga, specialising in Māori legal issues and family matters. She was appointed as the Chairperson of the Trust in 2017 and, since then, her focus has been on driving the Trust's strategic development, with a focus on improving the Trust's resources and building the Trust's information and policy documentation. |
A little bit about how we began.....
|
Hi, I'm Jen.
My husband Aaron and I first started Angel Casts in 2013. After several years of owning our own casting business, Hamilton Lifecasting Studio (previously Preggy Pukus), I was called by a local midwife who asked me to cast a baby who was sadly born sleeping. It was my first ever request for an angel casts. That day, that experience, changed my life. I knew in that moment how precious these casts would be to his family. How they would hold them, how they would touch his little toes, and feel a connection to their baby they could no longer hold and touch in person. I knew then that this was a tangible memory that could be so vital to a family's healing, as well as help in their siblings understanding. I knew then, that I never wanted to profit from another mothers loss. I knew then that this had to be a free service. That was the beginning of Angel Casts. From 2013-2016 Aaron and I supported the cost of Angel Casts ourselves, through profits made in our lifecasting business, and as demand for our service increased we turned to our community for support. With demand nearing it's peak, often being called to a new angel casting several times a week, we needed more help and more hands on deck. In March 2016 we became a charitable trust (charities number CC52962). We have been overwhelmed with the amount of support from our community, and all those involved with helping us to make this a sustainable service, and we cannot thank you all enough. We continue to rely on public support to ensure this service remains free for all our families. Please help us to support mums and dads around the Waikato who are suffering the loss of a child. Your donation will help to give parents a physical memory to last a lifetime. x Jen |