AUCTION RAISES $7,800 FOR AH FOUNDATION

Andrea Hewitt’s competition bike and race suit, Richie McCaw’s rugby jersey and shorts, George Bennett’s cycling jersey and a Revbox stationary bike trainer were among the list of amazing items sold at auction on last Thursday evening to celebrate the launch of the AH Foundation. A total of $7,800 was raised for the foundation which aims to support up-and-coming athletes.

Current world number two triathlete, Kiwi Andrea Hewitt has worked closely with Perpetual Guardian to set up a Foundation in her name. The AH Foundation will support athletes who may not otherwise be able to afford training and equipment.

Andrea, who attended the event with supporters from Christchurch’s business and triathlon community, was overwhelmed by the auction’s success. “It was an amazing result and I am thankful for the generosity of those who opened their wallets and made solid bids on the auction items.

“The funds raised will go a long way to supporting young athletes in the triathlon community, which has seen a decline over the years. I think this comes down to several factors, but the biggest ones would have to be cost, resources and training facilities. I want to support young athletes by giving them the same opportunities I had and I plan to do that through my work with the foundation."

Andrea has been able to establish the AH Foundation thanks to a new philanthropy model. The Perpetual Guardian Foundation, which promotes ‘everyday philanthropy’ as an affordable and accessible way of giving, has established a sub fund and donated seed funding of $50,000 to launch Andrea’s philanthropic coaching programme for up-and-coming athletes.

Kirsten Taylor, Philanthropy Services Manager at Perpetual Guardian, was amazed by the support of those who attended the event. On behalf of Perpetual Guardian, I would like to thank everyone for getting behind Andrea’s vision to support New Zealand’s athletes. The auction was a great success and wouldn’t have generated the result that it did without the enthusiasm of Mark Dineen from Tavendale and Partners who lead the auction.

“The AH Foundation is a wonderful example of our vision and intentions when we established the Perpetual Guardian Foundation as an umbrella vehicle for people like Andrea, who want to be everyday givers and have a purpose they’re passionate about. Having an umbrella structure reduces the governance and compliance costs while enabling our donor clients to focus on what they are great at.”

Andrea is already inviting young athletes to join her in her own training. She says since she started swimming on Sundays, around 15 other youngsters have joined the weekly Christchurch session alongside her. And though the AH Foundation will, over time, offer financial support to young athletes seeking to reach the upper echelons of competition, people of any age wanting to train with a group are welcome to be a part of the programme.

In line with legislation for charities, the AH Foundation operates with the charitable objective of advancing purposes beneficial to the community – in this case, education and health. It is a charitable entity registered as part of the Perpetual Guardian Foundation, with reporting obligations to Charities Services and an advisory board comprising of Andrea and Dr John Hellemans, the Christchurch-based sports medicine practitioner and well-known New Zealand triathlon coach.

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