St John is hoping to raise eyebrows as well as money this year, introducing a fun, new online fundraising campaign asking Kiwis to Be a Saint and donate to its annual appeal.
The New Zealand ambulance service says the move is a playful take on the way Kiwis refer to a helpful person who goes the extra mile with “what a saint”.
Building on last year’s ‘Heart of Gold’ appeal, St John is encouraging New Zealander’s to ‘be a saint and donate’ at heartofgold.org.nz.
Donors who give through the website will then receive access to an exclusive St John ‘Halo’ graphic frame to sit on top of their existing social media profiles to help spread the message.
High profile New Zealanders including Actor Jayden Daniels, All Blacks Cory Jane & Liam Messam, Silver Fern Kayla Cullen, Daisy Dagg, and Boxing Champion Joseph Parker are this week becoming saints on social media and encourage other Kiwis to do the same.
St John Chief Executive Peter Bradley says St John hopes to raise more than $2.2m from its annual appeal in April, to help pay for much needed ambulances and lifesaving equipment.
“Many New Zealanders still don’t know that St John is a charity and that we need to raise more than 25 percent or $70m of our annual operating budget every year.
“This year we aim to increase that awareness through this fun digital campaign, which tries to encourage Kiwis to come together and donate enough money online for a new ambulance. Everyone who donates $25 or more will get their name on the side of the ambulance – this is a first, traditionally reserved only for those who donate an entire ambulance.
“We believe all of our people are saints in some way, helping to deliver little miracles around New Zealand every day. This year, we encourage New Zealanders young and old to be a saint too,” he said.
A single ambulance costs $225,000, and the lifesaving equipment that St John is fundraising for means its ambulance officers can treat people more effectively in the wide variety of scenarios they encounter across the country.
Mr Bradley says that one ambulance can attend as many as 600 incidents each year, helping more than 600 people.
“Our 111 emergency call handlers receive more than half a million ambulance calls each year, and we treat over 469,000 patients,” he said.
Donations can be made in any ASB branch across New Zealand, online at heartofgold.org.nz, by calling 0800 ST JOHN, or to St John & ASB volunteer collectors throughout New Zealand.
--ENDS--