A Legacy of Love: Kathy Landsman’s Gift Helps Ruby Find Her Best Friend
When Kathy Landsman left a gift in her Will to the Acorn Foundation, she created a way for her generosity to keep supporting the community well into the future. Each year, Acorn distributes income from gifts like Kathy’s to local charities and organisations, ensuring that her legacy continues to have an impact where it is needed most.
In 2025, $12,375 from Kathy’s fund was distributed to Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust. This organisation raises, trains, and matches highly skilled assistance dogs with New Zealanders living with a range of disabilities. These dogs are more than companions, they play an important role in providing practical support, increasing independence, and helping families live with greater confidence.
Ruby’s Journey
One of the families supported through Kathy’s legacy is Ruby’s. Ruby is six years old and lives in the Bay of Plenty with her parents and three siblings. She enjoys music, laughter, and being part of the energy of family life, but she also faces significant health challenges every day.
Ruby sustained a brain injury at birth, which means she lives with significant disabilities. She is non-verbal, non-mobile, and has a severe visual impairment. To support her wellbeing, Ruby receives daily therapy and regular specialist care. At times, her health brings extra challenges, including seizures and difficulties with eating, which can be harder to manage in a lively household with three other children.
Her mum, Jasmine, says Ruby has faced more in her six years than many people experience in a lifetime. She describes her as “the strongest and bravest person I know.” Jasmine also reflects on the impact Ruby’s condition has on family life: “I often feel like our family misses out on lots of experiences that other families get to do – like going on holiday or even a simple trip to the beach in summer.”
The Wait for Gavin
When Ruby was just six months old, Jasmine placed her on the waitlist for an Assistance Dog. “I was grieving and needed something to look forward to. I wanted Ruby to have every single thing that might give her joy and add to the quality of her life,” she recalls.
After five long years of waiting, Ruby’s match finally arrived in February 2025: a handsome brindle Labrador–Golden Retriever mix named Gavin. While Jasmine admits she was nervous about the extra workload of caring for a dog, she says, “It’s been totally worth it”.
Life with Gavin
From the moment Gavin bounced into their home, life began to change. Ruby now has a constant companion who comforts her at night, eases her distress, and even helps during seizures by resting his chin gently on her lap until a caregiver arrives. For her parents, this has brought enormous reassurance and relief.
Ruby, who struggles with sleep and always wants company, now has Gavin by her side every night, which gives her comfort and allows her parents to rest too. Out in the community, Ruby relishes the extra attention that comes when Gavin walks proudly beside her. At home, Gavin retrieves toys Ruby drops from her wheelchair, giving her rare and precious moments of independence .
Ruby has also discovered new ways to play with Gavin, using a ramp to roll a ball down for a special game of fetch. “Ruby loves how excited Gavin gets around her and the other kids, and she always smiles when he comes to give her hand a lick or nuzzle,” Jasmine says.
For the family, Gavin has been nothing short of transformative. “Having an Assistance Dog has increased the quality of our family’s life. Gavin helps us smile and laugh even when life can be hard. He makes us feel special and lucky. Everyone in our family loves him so much”.
Looking ahead, Jasmine dreams of Gavin going to school with Ruby, giving her support and companionship wherever life takes her.
The Power of Legacy
Jasmine says her family feels incredibly fortunate to have Gavin: “He is a best friend to everyone in our family. He helps us stay positive and be grateful. We feel so lucky to have him in our lives.”
Support like this is only possible thanks to donors such as Kathy Landsman. Through her gift, entrusted to the Acorn Foundation, Kathy has made a lasting difference for Ruby and her family. Her legacy has provided practical support and comfort where it is needed most, showing how one person’s generosity can improve lives for years to come.
At Acorn, we often see how gifts left in Wills create long-term change the Western Bay. By leaving a gift through the Acorn Foundation, you can ensure that the causes you care about continue to be supported well into the future.
If you would like to learn more about how to leave your own legacy, please contact the Acorn team on 07 579 9839. To learn more about the work of Assistance Dogs New Zealand Trust, visit assistancedogstrust.org.nz.