Editorial: Proud to help boy pursue goal

Sports reporter Shane Hurndell and Chief reporter Greg Taipari pictured with some of the rugby boots donated.

There is nothing wrong with taking pride in your work, especially when it has a positive impact on other people.

Working for Hawke's Bay Today gives me plenty of opportunity to be proud of my role in our paper.

Friday was an especially proud moment. For the last month we have been running the Bring yer Boots campaign and I got the chance to see first hand what sort of impact it has made on one youngster's life. Joseph Lilo-Iosefo, a 7-year-old from Camberley School, was one of the first youngsters to benefit, getting a pair of rugby boots.

His yellow pair of Nike boots would make him run fast he told me, and that one day he wanted to be like Richie McCaw. I have no doubt the talented little guy will try his best to achieve that goal. He has the genes for it with his cousin, Tom Iosefo playing sevens for Samoa.

What made me feel proud about that moment was knowing our paper may play a small part in him achieving his goal. Of course he will have to work hard and with great parents like his mother, Faye Lilo-Sefo and father Mapesone Lilo-Iosefo, I'm sure he has every chance.

He was one of many children we hope to help get started on their dream of playing a sport they love.

The cross-code initiative - launched last month with Magpies first five-eighth Ihaia West donating a pair of his playing boots, is geared to encourage people to donate their old sports boots for children needing some sprigged footwear this winter. Another amazing moment was, although we gave out about 200 pairs of boots, no sooner had we emptied the room we were storing them, we had more boots come in. This is fantastic because I'm sure there are plenty of other schools who have children needing boots.