Make a donation for Camp Teen Beat

Media Release

26 March 2014

Be a part of a life-changing experience for heart teens
Make a donation for Camp Teen Beat

Camp Teen Beat is a camping experience like no other. It is a special camp for teens aged 13 to 17 living with a heart condition. Every year, approximately 45 heart teens from across New Zealand come together for a fun, adventurous week. They are encouraged and supported to try new things and challenge themselves. They meet teens dealing with similar challenges and are surrounded by people who understand their needs. It is a life-changing experience.

Organised and run by @Heart, Camp Teen Beat 2014 is an outdoor, fun-filled learning experience in a safe, non-threatening and non-competitive environment. It has medical support from nurses who have been part of the team of volunteer helpers at the Camp for several years.

Hannah Keatley, volunteer adult helper at Camp Teen Beat 2013 said, “The difference that Camp Teen Beat makes to teens is amazing. Heart teens get to feel just like their peers, scars and all, for this special week. They play games, climb trees, scale new heights and are not made to feel bad if they cannot achieve it. They are encouraged to do what they can. They are able to swim without wearing t-shirts covering their scars and talk to other teens who have gone through similar journeys. They no longer feel alone.”

Camp Teen Beat will be held from 28 April to 2 May at the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre in Long Bay. It’s coming up very soon, and @Heart is facing some challenges to cover the costs of Camp this year. It costs $600 to send one teen to camp for the week; and, with no government funding, the charity is asking for your support to ensure camp is all it can be for these special kids. There's no fee for heart teens to attend to this life-changing programme, but @Heart needs help now to make sure Camp goes ahead this year.

Camp Teen Beat runs for just a week but the experience can help heart teens for years to come. They take home a positive attitude, newfound friendships and increased self-confidence that will help them face their future challenges.

You can be a part of a life-changing experience for heart teens - help them come to Camp Teen Beat 2014. With your support, 45 heart teens from around NZ can come to camp in Auckland this April, learn new skills, and challenge themselves to achieve more than they'd ever imagined they could. Every single dollar goes directly to getting another heart teen to Camp Teen Beat.

Donations can be made online by visiting http://www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/CampTeenBeat.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About @Heart

@Heart is the only organisation in New Zealand dedicated to providing lifelong support for all those affected by childhood heart conditions.

Started in the ‘80s by two heart mums to ease the chronic need for parental information and support, the network continued to grow and formalised itself as Heart Children Incorporated in 1984 and subsequently changed its name to Heart Children New Zealand Incorporated.

With an increasing number of adults surviving childhood heart conditions, the organisation responded by extending its support to heart children throughout their lives, not just in their younger years. It changed its name to @Heart Inc in 2010 to better represent all those affected by childhood heart conditions. The organisation has Kids@Heart, Teens@Heart, Adults@Heart and Families@Heart.

@Heart (www.heartnz.org.nz) now stretches across the nation providing kids, teens, adults and families with free access to its 50 services. The charity is not funded by the Government and is not affiliated to the Heart Foundation. Charity Registration CC20102.

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