A BNZ banker has been working with officials of St John Emergency Services to promote its operations among the members of the Indian community.
Gurpreet Singh Manchanda (aka Guru) goes beyond his official responsibilities as a member of the Bank’s Product Manager (Team Investments, Products and Partnerships) to create greater awareness of St John as a lifesaver.
At a meeting that he organised recently at Sri Dashmesh Darbar, a Gurdwara owned and managed by the Auckland Sikh Society located near Hunters Corner in Papatoetoe, he outlined the work of St John, stating how communities benefit through this prime provider.
He promoted the organisation also at Baisakhi celebrations.
John Eadie and Penny Blackman, respectively Regional Manager and Store Manager (Howick) of St John, who were present at the meeting, spoke about the lifesaving work done by the charitable organisation and appealed to people to contribute through memberships and their donations.
BNZ compassion
Guru has been an important advocate of social and community service, evincing keen interest in the community activities of BNZ.
Following the Christchurch earthquake in September 2010, he wanted to do more in the community and to help in times of need.
“During the earthquake, I helped BNZ’s Incident Management team by contacting our staff in Christchurch to confirm their condition and safety. I decided that there must be something more that I could do to help in emergency situations,” he said.
Joining St John as an Events Volunteer in 2011, Guru assisted in its support to the Auckland community and later became an ‘Advanced First Aider for events such as ANZAC Day, the annual Santa Parade, Diwali Mela and a number of sport events, ranging from soccer to cycling.
Products & Services
Contrary to popular belief, the Government does not fully fund St John for its operations and hence the Organisation is reliant on donations and volunteers to help deliver its lifesaving ambulance service to communities across New Zealand.
St John also provides medical alarms, first aid kits for the home and workplace, and varying levels of first aid training courses designed for individuals, families, workplaces and companies.
“While not everyone can support St John with their time and effort, they can choose to help through one-off or annual donations. Those with time to spare can volunteer as a Caring Caller, friend of an emergency department, operations volunteer, health shuttle volunteer, youth volunteer or events volunteer. You do not have to be a doctor, paramedic or a nurse to volunteer for St John. What you need is the passion and eagerness to help and serve the community,” Guru said.
For more information, please visit www.stjohn.org.nz or call 0800-785646.
