The Heart Foundation street appeal is on February 21 and 22.
The Heart Foundation street appeal is on February 21 and 22.
The Heart Foundation will be running its biggest fundraiser of 2025 in February – the Big Heart Appeal – and it needs volunteers.
The Big Heart Appeal will see volunteer street collectors spend a couple of hours raising funds for heart research between Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22.
“There are a million New Zealanders living with cardiovascular disease,” said Heart Foundation medical director Dr Gerry Devlin.
“It’s still the number one killer, in New Zealand and globally. Our work has never been more urgent.”
Devlin said funds raised help the foundation to make a big difference, whether it is supporting research that results in improved treatments and medications or investing in overseas training for our young cardiologists so we can offer world-class care in New Zealand.
“Outcomes for those affected by heart attacks and other heart conditions have greatly improved thanks to Heart Foundation-funded work, but there is still much to be done.”
Devlin said significant gaps remained in research, diagnosis and care of women with heart disease.
“It is an area we are investing in, on a national and international scale, and we hope this research will make a major impact on women’s cardiovascular health.”
One of the Heart Foundation’s repeat volunteers is Terry Jeal from Ōtaki.
Terry Jeal said being a volunteer street collector for the Heart Foundation was very rewarding.
Jeal said he had been fortunate not to have suffered any serious heart problems, but he was aware that heart disease could strike anyone at any time, regardless of age and lifestyle.
“This was first brought home to me many years ago when a friend in his 40s, who seemed fit and well, suffered a sudden fatal heart attack while enjoying his daily run.”
So, when Jeal received an email from the foundation seeking volunteer collectors, he thought “Why not, I can spare a bit of time”, and he said it’s been the most rewarding experience.
“As a collector outside a supermarket in Ōtaki, I have been struck time and time again by the generosity of the public, and widespread respect and goodwill towards the foundation.
“Even people who have little spare cash in these straitened times are more than willing to give what they can, sometimes apologising for the smallness of their contribution, to which the response is always that every dollar the foundation receives helps.”
He said one of the best things about volunteering was listening to the heartwarming stories that people shared.
“People open up about their experiences and want to take the opportunity to convey their gratitude to the foundation even if only indirectly.”
He said another thing he loved was seeing parents encouraging their small children to place the money inside the collection box, and “setting them on the path for a lifetime of sharing and caring for others less fortunate than themselves”.
Jeal said it was often too easy to walk past street collectors for various causes without giving further thought to the importance of the work being undertaken by the charity and the contribution of the volunteer fundraisers.
“I would encourage people to give a little of their time and volunteer as a collector for the Big Heart Appeal. It’s not onerous, it’s fun, and you get to meet some amazing people in your community.”
