St John Says Thank You to New Zealand for Record Appeal

MEDIA RELEASE 6 SEPTEMBER 2016

St John Says Thank You to New Zealand for Record Appeal

St John recently asked Kiwis to get behind our Annual Appeal and help fundraise for new ambulances and lifesaving equipment.

We set the ambitious target of raising $2.2 million but New Zealanders went beyond and generously donated a record-breaking $2.7 million – a result which is unprecedented in St John’s fundraising history!

“We want to thank you, the New Zealand public, for your generosity,” says Peter Bradley, St John Chief Executive.

“Demand for our services has never been greater and as a charity we rely on the generosity of the communities we serve. Knowing we are going to jobs with the support of an entire country behind us is inspiring.”

Funds raised in the St John Annual Appeal 2016 will be spent directly on ambulances and a variety of hi-tech clinical and medical equipment – mobile data terminals, stretchers, defibrillators, heart rate monitors, specialised extraction equipment – along with ambulance officer training and uniforms.

Click here to see a video from St John, thanking you for your support.

-ENDS-

BACKGROUND:

• Every day St John responds to 1,250 calls for help; that’s one call every minute.

• Last year we cared for nearly 430,000 patients and our ambulances travelled nearly 20 million kilometres.

• The life of a frontline emergency vehicle is about eight years. We have approx. 700 ambulances and operational vehicles over 200 stations across the country.

• St John is the largest primary healthcare provider in New Zealand; it provides emergency ambulance services to nearly 90% of New Zealanders and covers 97% of the country’s geographical area.

• St John is a registered charity made up of a mix of full-time paid employees and volunteer staff.

• Our community and commercial programmes range from first aid training, health shuttle services, Friends of the Emergency Department, Caring Caller telephone service, monitored medical alarms, Outreach Therapy Pets and a St John Youth Programme.

© Scoop Media