Road Trip Pays Off For Youthline

Five students who pulled out all the stops to help raise over $20,000 for Youthline during their holidays handed over the donation to the youth charity today.

Team Eight Days, which includes Georgina Mathieson (18), George Mitchell (18), Hillary Bell (19), Sarah Fullarton (19) and Roddy Burgoyne (18), plan to visit South America on their winning trip.

The students overcame the initial set-back of their car breaking down in Picton to go on to win the Starbucks Grande Road Trip.

“Team Eight Days” raised over $5,500 during their road trip. The team were one of 15 national teams who accepted the mission to travel New Zealand visiting Starbucks coffee stores while raising money for the youth charity.

The team have won a $15,000 trip to a Starbucks store of their choice anywhere in the world. There are almost 8,000 Starbucks stores in 32 countries, worldwide for them to choose from.

Team Eight captain, Georgina Mathieson said of their win: “It was touch and go for awhile there. When we broke down in Picton we had to leave the car there and bus up to Tokoroa, where we borrowed a car. It’s ironic that half of our road trip was on a bus!

“We’re just so grateful to everyone who gave so generously to Youthline along the way. It gave us a real sense of purpose to know we were helping people our own age” said Mathieson.

Youthline Director Stephen Bell said the organisation was overwhelmed with the result.

“The money raised will go a long way to help our much-needed 24/7 telephone service which nearly 80,000 young kiwis used in the last year.”

Entrants earned points towards the major prize based on the number of stores visited and the amount of money raised.

“The teams got up to all sorts of amazing antics to increase their haul for Youthline,” said Starbucks general manager Aasha Murthy.

Other trippers’ tricks to grab the attention of donors included: an on-line auction of celebrity items such as a 1999 Rugby World Cup ball signed by the All Blacks, a netball signed by the Silver Ferns and the Super 12 jersey of Canterbury rugby player Corey Flynn. stopping buses and cars in their tracks wearing pyjamas all day to get noticed travelling with two on-board Labradors to ensure the “aaah” factor won people over getting sponsored by Trade and Exchange on-line with daily updates and photos of their progress

Youthline received the money from Team Eight Days and Starbucks today.

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