3 minute read
Letitia's Message
Kia ora koutou,
I always look forward to this time of year as we move out of the damp, cold winter months and into the brighter spring season! For the Foundation, this time of year is particularly exciting and busy as we start our biggest annual fundraising campaign; Breathe Better September.
The Foundation receives no government funding, so all our work is made possible by the generous support from our community funding groups, our donor family, our Friend of the Foundation Sponsors and New Zealanders who share our goal of improving respiratory health in Aotearoa. The money we raise during Breathe Better September goes directly to our essential work providing resources, education and advocacy on behalf of the 700,000 Kiwis with respiratory conditions.
This year we have some exceptional individuals supporting our work. You may recognise the name Nick Ashill, an ultramarathon runner who has completed some incredible long-distance runs, while also raising money for the Foundation. Last year, he raised over $10,000 for the Foundation finishing the final leg of a 5400km run across America. For Breathe Better September 2023, Nick has set himself a new goal: to beat his record of running non-stop for 24 hours while raising funds for the Foundation's mahi. By the time this magazine reaches you, Nick will have completed this incredible effort.
I would also like to introduce you to another amazing Foundation supporter, Josh Brodie. Josh is a former professional cricketer who struggled throughout his childhood with asthma. He is hoping to raise up to $50,000 for the Foundation by completing the Taupō Ironman in March 2024.
Finally, Adam Faatz is a former American soldier with a special connection to New Zealand. Adam has pulmonary fibrosis and
plans to climb Mt Kilimanjaro to raise money for the Foundation.
We thank all of these exceptional athletes for supporting the Foundation with their inspirational stories - you can read more about Nick and Josh on page 10.
On the cover of this issue is the winning entry from the Foundation’s first-ever national art competition for teens, to raise awareness about the harms of vaping. We received more than 280 entries in the ‘Don’t Get Sucked In’ Poster Challenge from intermediate and secondary students across the country! We ran this competition to encourage young people to learn more about the risks of vaping and to share these messages with their peers. The standard and number of entries was amazing, and indicates that young New Zealanders really do care about the harms vaping causes to their wellbeing and the environment.
The Foundation is committed to educating our young people on the harms of vaping both through our vaping education website, ‘Don’t Get Sucked In’ (www. dontgetsuckedin.co.nz) and through interactive workshops for schools run by our Āpiha Takawaenga- Māori (Māori Community Liaison), Sharon Pihema. It is so important for parents and caregivers to be well-informed about vaping so you can have open conversations with your young person. In this spring magazine, we share some useful information to help you have those chats.
On page 8, learn about the science of vaping from Professor Kelly Burrowes, a researcher at the University of Auckland who studies the impact of vaping on the lungs. On page 5, we share excerpts from a recent webinar with the Vape-Free Kids New Zealand Facebook group - with practical advice from both Sharon and me on how to help your child deal with the pressures of vaping.
