Governor-General to launch Red Shield Appeal before Wellington business leaders

Wellington, 18 April 2007 – His Excellency the Governor-General The Honourable Anand Satyanand will officially open The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal before more than 100 Wellington business leaders next week.

Wellingtonian Jenna Limmer will talk about her involvement in the Wellington drug scene as a teenager and how The Salvation Army helped put her life back on track.

“Last year, The Salvation Army cared for and helped transform the lives of over a quarter of a million people right across New Zealand,” says Major Jeff Winterburn, Public Relations Officer with The Salvation Army’s Central Division, based in Wellington.

“That’s about one person every two minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“Some of the ways The Salvation Army has helped people include providing accommodation for more than 76,000 people, meals on wheels (28,000 people), food parcels (more than 24,000 people), assessment interviews (20,000 people), Community meals (8,200 people), gifts and toys (6,000 mainly children), counseling (5,500 people), budgeting advice (4,500 people), parenting programmes and education (3,800 people).

“The Red Shield Appeal Week – which runs this year from 30 April to 6 May – is The Salvation Army’s major fund-raising event for the year. It’s a key way for people to step up and show their support for the valuable work we have been doing in the community over the past 125 years.”

Major Winterburn says The Red Shield Appeal, which includes a business appeal, direct mail campaign and nationwide static collection week, has a national target of $7.4million.

Media are invited to attend the Red Shield Appeal opening on Thursday, 26 April, 7.30-8.40am, at the Lambton Room, Hotel Intercontinental, 2 Grey Street, Wellington.

ENDS

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