Media release

For immediate release

Monday 7 May 2012

Charity Gives Hundreds of Young Kiwis an Outdoor Adventure

A New Zealand charity has given 750 young Kiwis a unique gift: a confidence-building OPC Adventure Challenge in the great outdoors.

In the last year, Pub Charity has paid towards fees for 750 school students from around New Zealand to go on an educational Adventure Challenge programme at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand (OPC).

“Without the generosity of Pub Charity, many of these students would not have been able to afford to experience OPC’s programmes,” says Graham Seatter, the CEO of OPC, which is a not-for-profit charitable trust.

“Not only has Pub Charity given these young New Zealanders a chance to learn new outdoor skills, but boosted their confidence, leadership abilities and motivation, all of which can help them tackle future challenges.”

Students and parents both recognise the enormous benefit OPC’s courses offer. Marc Pepin, whose daughter Audrey took part in a Tongariro course last year, said: “My daughter Audrey just loved her camp. She has been to alot of camps (including in Canada) in the past and yours was the best so far. Since coming back, she is a little different... better!! And she is just talking about how good it was. Thank you to the Pub Charity. Keep up your good work.”

The classroom also benefits with teachers reporting positive changes to behaviour of students who have attended an OPC course.

“They just never stopped smiling, even when they got back to school the next week,” said Royal Road teacher, Joanne Summerville. “They experienced activities that they could only have dreamed of … I have seen the results back in the classroom, they all have this great sense of achievement and have grown taller with confidence that comes from OPC.”

ENDS

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