Sporting Icons Swing In Behind Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s Cyclone Relief
A celebrity-studded golf fundraiser and auction dinner in Hamilton has raised over $70,000 for the Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s Cyclone Relief Fund.
The event, held at St Andrew’s Golf Club in Hamilton last Thursday, attracted a top-flight card of 22 teams and 88 players, including former Black Caps captain Ross Taylor, All Black Anton Lienert-Brown and a team from the NZ Warriors .
The organizers of the day and their personal friends Ross Taylor and former Hawke’s Bay Racing CEO Andrew Castles are thrilled with the support the day has received.
“Both Ross and I were overwhelmed by the support from everyone we asked to get involved, whether it was joining a team, providing a raffle prize or an auction item. After evaluating various options for using our donation, we chose Hawke’s Bay Foundation’s Cyclone Relief Fund as they are a highly respected local organization that is on the ground.
Amy Bowkett, executive director of the Hawke’s Bay Foundation, is grateful for the recognition.
“Fundraising initiatives like these are extremely effective ways for communities both local and outside the region to support recovery efforts. What Andrew and Ross have accomplished is truly wonderful and we are grateful that they chose us as their trusted carrier.”
For Andrew (Butch) Castles, who had his wife Tess help organize the day and his close friend Ian Smith broadcast his radio show from the venue, the focus was on raising money for those in need in Hawke’s Bay.
“Raising $70,000 was an incredible result and I think it shows how deeply the feelings are of the people of Hawke’s Bay in different parts of New Zealand who have suffered in so many ways. It also shows how many people have a connection to Hawke’s Bay and feel a deep affection for this place. The auction’s biggest benefactor is someone who grew up in the provinces but now lives in Auckland. There’s a little bit of the Bay in most of us!”
St. Andrew’s Golf Course therefore waived the day’s tournament fees, raising $16,500 from golf team entries and an additional $53,500 from the auction. Fittingly, it was a team of Hawke’s Bay boys who played the game that day.
“Angus Schaw, Jake Smith, Hamish Lewis and Sam Jenkins are a great bunch of young people who wanted to be part of the day. I’ve known Jake Smith for a long time and played cricket with Angus Schaw’s father, Colin. Teammates Hamish Lewis and Sam Jenkins are proud “Bay Boys” who now live outside of the region but still have strong ties to the province where they grew up. I was thrilled they set St Andrew’s on fire and scored an incredible Ambrose terms of the tournament.”
14 weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle, Hawke’s Bay FoundationThe Cyclone Relief Fund has distributed or pledged over $1.3 million in donations and more than 60% of its total fund to support regional recovery efforts.
So far, 52 frontline charities and community groups have been supported in Hawke’s Bay, which in turn have helped hundreds of individuals and families hardest hit by the cyclone get back on their feet.
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