A chilly heart stopping event to raise money for heart kids

A chilly heart stopping event to raise money for heart kids

@Heart warmly invites you or your representative to the Auckland Heart Stopper Challenge event that will take place from 3pm tomorrow (Friday 18th May) at Takutai Square, Britomart.

30-odd teams from businesses and organisations such as ASB, Bunnings, Les Mills, Lion, More FM, NAB, Roche Diagnostics and Veolia Water will plunge into an icy spa pool for five minutes. Their icy plunge helps to raise money for the 12 Kiwi kids born every week with a heart condition.

The Heart Stopper Challenge is an annual fundraising event of @Heart, the only organisation in New Zealand dedicated to providing lifelong support for children born with a congenital heart condition or those who acquired a heart condition from childhood illnesses.

These teams, dressed in costume, not only demonstrate bravery and camaraderie but in the process have lots of fun. TV presenter, actress and model Jo Holley will be one of the judges for Best Team Costume and Team Spirit. There are also prizes for Top Fundraisers.

There is no entry fee to take the plunge, but each team member is encouraged to raise at least $100 to support the work of @Heart. Funds raised from the Auckland Heart Stopper Challenge event are used to support heart children and their families staying on the National Paediatric Cardiac Ward in Auckland and at home, through @Heart’s Family Support Programme.

If Auckland locals are not quite up to taking the challenge themselves, they can always come along to the venue to cheer on the plungers, or sponsor a plunger for the Auckland Heart Stopper Challenge on this website: http://www.heartstopper.org.nz/event/heartstopperauckland2012.

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 1980 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.

For more information, please visit www.heartnz.org.nz

ENDS

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