DOCUMENT

IN BRIEF SOCIETY SNIPPETS THANKS PORT OF TAURANGA During 2021 Port of Tauranga raised $1,400 for the Cerebral Palsy Society. It’s the second time the company has supported the Society, and Group Human Resources Advisor Rachael Nunn says the connection came about when they were running a Steptember campaign as part of their wellbeing programme, Ship Shape. “We were challenged by another Port in 2019 and a number of companies in our industry joined in for a fun (and competitive!) challenge. We raised about $5,500 [for the Society] and had lots of fun doing it!” Last year Port of Tauranga ran their tournament in-house resulting in a $1,400 donation to the Society. “Not only is a stepping challenge good fun to do in teams (and in lockdown!), it’s also great for wellbeing and helps us hit some of our physical wellbeing targets. “We really like supporting the Society - it provides such instrumental support. “We will be aiming to raise money for the charity every year through campaigns such as a step challenge – it’s such a simple yet effective way to build engagement, connect our teams, and raise awareness for such an important cause.” BE GREEN & BE SEEN Last year, to celebrate World Cerebral Palsy Day on October 6, the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand asked its members, family and friends to Be Green & Be Seen for the day. Thank you to everyone who took part – from dressing green for up to 12 marathons, one every month. Ben used the opportunity to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand, of which Johnny is a member, and the Bedford and District Cerebral Palsy Society in the UK. “The BDCPS and CPSNZ do really cool things to help Johnny and other children with Cerebral Palsy go out and do things like swimming to make them happy,” Ben says. Ben set a fundraising target of £1000 but at the end of his 12-month goal he had exceeded expectations by raising a total of £2921. “I am very grateful for you helping Johnny and his friends be happy.” BEN’S MARATHON EFFORT In October 2020, a special 9-year-old boy in the United Kingdom decided to do something massive to celebrate the birthday of his cousin on the other side of the world. Ben Jansen van Vuuren, pictured, lives in the village of Maulden, Bedfordshire, UK, and on the birthday of his “very brave” cousin Johnny Herring, in Auckland, Ben decided he would run more than 500km over 12 months – that adds your morning walk, to heading into the office or attending a Zoom call dressed in green and raising awarenes about Cerebral Palsy, to wearing face paint to add an extra splash of green, decorating your letterbox for passersby to see, and raising money for the Society at the same time. We loved this photo that came in of Max Thompson-Bailey, 16, from Maungakaramea, Whangarei – he certainly made sure he was green and seen on his daily ride around the neighbourhood! It was a fabulous green day, and we can’t wait to see what this year holds. Check out the back cover of The Review for more Be Green & Be Seen photos from 2021. 18 | THE REVIEW JAN–APR 2022