Relay for Life 2011
When asked who would help raise money for the Cancer Society by taking part in the Relay for Life, 25 brave people committed themselves to walking for 18 hours for charity.
ASSA ABLOY New Zealand has had three staff members over the last 18 months go through treatment for various types of cancer, so this was a cause close to all of our hearts.
Now an achievable fundraising target would have been $100 per person, which would have equalled $2500 for charity…..but this group of people decided to do better than this and aim to raise $5000.
There were many times when we questioned our sanity at raising such a huge amount of money, but through perseverance, raffles of all descriptions and some amazing lunches donated by the wider community of staff, the money started to flow in.
The day of the Relay arrived as did the rain! Our team turned up for the opening ceremony that honoured those that were celebrating because they had battled cancer, remembering those we had lost to this disease and helping fight back for those still struggling with cancer.
The first lap was lead by the survivors and their support crew, and this was the official first lap to be recorded.
The ASSA ABLOY team completed 1217 laps of the stadium in rain and torrential downpours before it was called off 3 hours early due to worsening wind conditions. There were definitely a few sore people the day after the Relay, which is to be expected as combined they had walked 487km’s.
To our amazement, our team raised an outstanding $7444 that is going to be split between the Auckland Cancer Society and the Christchurch Cancer Society, as they had lost everything with the recent earthquake that had damaged buildings and services.
The money raised would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the overwhelming support and generosity of our greater ASSA ABLOY Community.
The sense of pride and achievement at raising such a huge amount of money and walking such a long way for charity can still be seen on the tired faces of the Relay team. Even though it was horrible weather to be out in all night, no one complained. They just put one foot in front of the other, taking their own personal stand against Cancer.
Written by Keri-Anne Martin