b'pictures: Kallan MacLeodgreatlyimprovedtheoutcomesforchildrensufferingIt also allowed her to indulge in her passion for design, life-threateningdiseasesorlife-compromisingillnesses.usingher tocreateanuplifting,comfortableair Althoughitisdif cult,inconvenientandsometimesenvironment for the resident families. The end result iswelcoming and inviting; spacious, and featuring grey- nancially disabling to leave home, family and community, and come to Auckland, no parent would deny their childhued quality furnishings with cheerful touches of red and every chance for good health. Being here, for as long itorangecourtesy of Reseneas well as stunning vistas takes, helps make that happen. across the city and sea. And how did Beth, an ex-Christchurch girl who has spent most of her working life in high-level jobs for advertisingWhat we actually do is provide a nurturing mogulsincludingColensoandSaatchi&Saatchi,getenvironment for parents whond themselves involved in this cause? in the worst situation possiblenot knowing I wanted to have more input in the products I was promoting, she says.whether their child has a life-threatening condition, she says.So, after the birth of her youngest child, Eloise, she decided to break out of the cycle and did an MBA. Not long after completing that, she took on a role as marketing andI wanted it to have a domestic feel, but it also needed to development manager at the Auckland Art Gallery.be practical and stay looking good for a few years, says I just loved the balance between being involved in aBeth. There is de nitely a correlation between how well building project, marketing the gallery and fundraising,we look after this environment and how well the families she enthuses. here look after what we provide. Then, after an unintended detour back into the advertisingBeths compassion and understanding is not surprising, world, helping run an agency bought by her partner,seeing she is the mother ofve children of her own. Her Peter,BethsaystheRMHroleprettymuchdroppedoldest sons, aged 34 and 22, live in Melbourne, while her into her lap. She found herself taking on a $7.7 millionthird boy, a 19-year-old uni student, 17-year-old daughter project that involved everything from a building contractand youngest daughter, aged 14, all live at home. and major refurbishment to budgeting, organisationalAndIhaveonegrandchild,whoisonlyfouryears change and fundraising.younger than my youngest child, she grins proudly. But the skills I acquired while working at the galleryBesides having a bunch of offspring to organise, Beth says equipped me well for the new job, she says. her challenge for the next year is to focus on fundraising She admits, too, that she was de nitely attracted to theand turning RMH into a completely self-funding operation, rolebecauseoftheadrenalinerushthatcomeswithlong term. And once thats done and dusted, she doesntResene Cest La Viecompleting a mammoth project within a set timeframe,know what her next mission will be.Resene and based only on community support. Warhol| 109'