Sunshine Day
20 May 2011 - In true royal style, our fundraising this May had a theme of "William and Kate", and the recent royal wedding. Not only were the hampers we raffled fit for a princess or prince, but there were also honeymoon hotel prizes to be won too. Morning tea was busy with royal banquet baking on sale, and Karen Lonergan from Autism New Zealand joined us. Karen let us know more about the background of the kiwi families that they support, and how the practical help and advice they provide makes a real difference.
It's May 2011, and this month we're also proud to celebrate our third birthday! Since May 2008 we have completed 36 months of Sovereign Sunshine, giving away $436,957.81 in donations to charities who support kiwi children and families. We're proud to support all the charities we've worked with over the last three years, we've met some fantastic New Zealanders, and heard many many great stories of kiwis helping kiwis. It's fantastic to be making a difference to kiwi families, and helping to build a brighter future for Kiwi kids. We'd also like to thank all the New Zealanders who have contributed to Sovereign Sunshine, by voting, making donations or volunteering their time. We're proud to be part of a great community, working alongside all of you, to help others.
21 April 2011 - This month our Distribution team lead our Sunshine Day fun, helping to raise donations for our March winning charity, Cure Kids. The money was raised from the sale of hot buttery hot cross buns, plus a home-baked cake sale in our office for morning tea. We were also donated a number of fantastic raffles prizes, which were popular with staff buying tickets.
Our donation will help Cure Kids fund vital medical research, to help save hundreds of young lives, and improve the quality of life for thousands of children. Cure Kids supports researchers such as Professors and Doctors at The University of Auckland and The University of Otago, who are working to find answers to illnesses such as Childhood cancer, cystic fibrosis, and sudden infant death.
Thanks to your March votes, Cure Kids received $3,700 from their share of the $10,000 split between the six short-listed charities. Our staff donations on Sunshine Day were matched by Sovereign, adding an extra $3,721 for Cure Kids.
17 March 2011 - This month we sold cakes and home baking, and raffled some fantastic prize hampers to raise funds for blind and partially sighted teenagers across the country. The money raised was matched by Sovereign, and will help fund a series of camps and support groups for children across NZ, such as music camp, sports camps, peer support groups and cooking groups. The activities and programmes the teenagers learn while away from home on camp gives them valuable skills in leadership, confidence, problem solving, team work, and teaching younger students new skills. Practical exercises, team activities and challenges all give the teenagers a really positive boost when they experience them with support and friendship, alongside other blind and partially sighted students who share the same perspective. In addition, being a teenager has its own challenges and the camps are a great way to help each student find answers and direction that helps them through their journey. We're proud to be supporting the Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind, and helping in a small way towards the great work they are doing.
Our fundraising was led by our Actuarial and Pricing & Business Partnership teams. We learnt more about the services the RNZFB provides from Cath Copley, and discussed the help they are giving to their Christchurch members in the aftermath of the recent earthquake.
14 February 2011 - Our February Sunshine Day has been all about the kids who visit Starship Children's Hospital - and the fundraising campaign to transform level six, the neuro and medical specialty wards. Our fundraising was co-ordinated by our Claims team, and supported by personal donations from our staff, which Sovereign matched.
Sarah Frayne from the Starship Foundation visited us and shared the background of the campaign, and what a huge difference it will make to the care and experience of the children and families at Starship. The project is expected to take 2 years to fundraise for, and we're proud to be contributing to the (huge!) $5million target. Anyone can donate online to help the new facilities, through the Starship Foundation website. http://www.starship.org.nz/donation
Starship Hospital provides leading health care to nearly 150,000 children each year from around New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
3 February 2011 - Congratulations to the Halberg Trust on receiving the most votes for December. We fundraised for the Trust on our January Sunshine Day. We're proud to be supporting the Halberg Trust Activity Fund, and helping children with a disability to participate in sport and active leisure. Our donation will go towards equipment such as trikes, trampolines, boccia sets, fatso wheels, and freedom wheels and also sports lessons like swimming, skiing, and tennis for disabled children. Thanks to our Marketing and Product team for this month's fundraising activities.
