Harveys In Support Of Cystic Fibrosis

Harveys In Support Of Cystic Fibrosis

AUCKLAND, 07 September 2004 – Harveys Real Estate is proud to announce a partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand. Harveys will be the new principal sponsor of the organisation, which supports hundreds of people with Cystic Fibrosis and their families throughout the country.

The involvement by Harveys, which will include national and regional participation, has been welcomed by Kate Russell, General Manager of the Cystic Fibrosis Association (CFA).

“We are delighted to have an organisation with the credibility and energy of Harveys to help us build on our core services at a grass roots level,” says Mrs Russell. “But what we’re really excited about is the multitude of other skills Harveys can provide, such as marketing and promotional expertise to assist us raise our profile.”

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common life threatening genetic condition in New Zealand. It is an inherited disorder that affects people in various ways, but most frequently causes recurrent respiratory infections, an inability to digest food and irreversible lung damage. There is no currently known cure and the average life expectancy for a person with Cystic Fibrosis in New Zealand is 29 years.

According to Managing Director Ross Hunter, Harveys regards the partnership as more than just pledging financial support. “We see it as a way of being active in the community and fostering relationships with local people, and are pleased to be able to assist New Zealanders with such a challenging condition,” he says. “It is a condition that goes largely unnoticed and we intend to change this and help provide better opportunities for people with Cystic Fibrosis.”

Individual Harveys offices will team up with CFA branches in their area to drive local profile raising events and create personal relationships with people who have Cystic Fibrosis in their communities. Several national fundraising events have also been planned, with the first scheduled for October at the Harveys Managers Conference.

For Mrs Russell, the regional aspect is a key priority. “We are delighted to be partnering with a company that places a lot of emphasis on families, security and community well being,” she says. “There’s just so much synergy between us – Harveys are about caring for people and so are we.”

Harveys became involved with the CFA after inviting Tracey Richardson, the mother of two children with Cystic Fibrosis, to speak at the company’s Annual Conference in June. Her moving account of the issues people with the condition face encouraged it to approach the Association and see what the company could offer.

Both parties are very happy with the arrangement. “This is very much a win-win situation for both organisations, and we are looking forward to an in depth and on-going relationship,” says Mr Hunter.

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