Supplied Content
Auckland, April 4, 2018
St John is hoping to raise eyebrows as well as money this year, introducing a fun, new online fundraising campaign asking Kiwis to Be a Saint and donate to its annual appeal.
The New Zealand ambulance service said that the move is a playful take on the way Kiwis refer to a helpful person who goes the extra mile with “What a Saint.”
Building on last year’s ‘Heart of Gold’ appeal, St John is encouraging New Zealander’s to ‘be a saint and donate’ at heartofgold.org.nz.
High Profile ‘Saints’
Donors who give through the website will then receive access to an exclusive St John ‘Halo’ graphic frame to sit on top of their existing social media profiles to help spread the message.
High profile New Zealanders including Actor Jayden Daniels, All Blacks Cory Jane and Liam Messam, Silver Fern Kayla Cullen, Daisy Dagg, and Boxing Champion Joseph Parker are this week becoming saints on social media and encourage other Kiwis to do the same.
St John Chief Executive Peter Bradley said that St John hopes to raise more than $2.2 million from its annual appeal in April, to help pay for much needed ambulances and lifesaving equipment.
Increasing Awareness
“Many New Zealanders still do not know that St John is a Charity and that we need to raise more than 25% or $70 million of our annual operating budget every year.
“This year we aim to increase that awareness through this fun digital campaign, which tries to encourage Kiwis to come together and donate enough money online for a new ambulance. Everyone who donates $25 or more will get their name on the side of the ambulance – this is a first, traditionally reserved only for those who donate an entire ambulance.
“We believe all of our people are saints in some way, helping to deliver little miracles around New Zealand every day. This year, we encourage New Zealanders young and old to be a saint too,” he said.
Cost of Ambulance
A single ambulance costs $225,000, and the lifesaving equipment that St John is fundraising for means its ambulance officers can treat people more effectively in the wide variety of scenarios they encounter across the country.
Mr Bradley said that one ambulance can attend as many as 600 incidents each year, helping more than 600 people.
“Our 111 emergency call handlers receive more than half a million ambulance calls each year, and we treat over 469,000 patients,” he said.
Donations can be made in any ASB branch across New Zealand, online at www.heartofgold.org.nz or call 0800 ST JOHN, or to St John & ASB volunteer collectors throughout New Zealand.
About St John
St John Heart of Gold Annual Appeal runs from April 2 to 8, 2018 with street collections nationwide on Friday, April 6, 2018. Online campaigning will run during April.
St John treated and/or transported 469,850 patients in the last year
Our community and commercial programmes range from first aid training, health shuttle services, ASB St John in Schools, Friends of the Emergency Department, Caring Caller telephone service, monitored Medical Alarms, Outreach Therapy Pets and a St John Youth Programme
St John is made up of a mix of full-time paid employees and volunteer staff
For the fourth year in a row St John was voted New Zealand’s Most Trusted Charity in the Readers Digest Most Trusted Brands Awards 2017
It costs $225,000 for a fully-equipped new generation ambulance
St John trained over 82,000 people in first aid last year
Ten Years of ASB AND St John
ASB head of community, sponsorship and events Mark Graham said that ASB is proud to support St John’s Annual Appeal month throughout April.
“This year we celebrate 10 years of support for St John, and we are excited to fundraise for our 10th Annual Appeal together. ASB people throughout New Zealand are heavily involved with the charity and enjoy making a difference in their local communities,” he said.
ASB is involved with St John in many ways; from volunteering on area committees or as Caring Callers, to contributing to the St John Annual Appeal fundraising and being the name sponsor for the ASB St John in Schools programme.
Additionally, all ASB branches are equipped with an AED (or heart defibrillator) and AED-trained ASB staff.
*
Photo Caption: St John Ambulance: Million calls and 469,000 patients a year
(Picture Supplied)
