Media Statement
The Asthma Foundation
5 April 2012
Christchurch school dances …
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
“I love dance, I’m an asthmatic and the message in the song is perfect for our school right now”. Heather McQuillan,
Deputy Principal from Mt Pleasant School in Christchurch was one of the first to register for Dance 4 Asthma. The Dance
4 Asthma campaign is an initiative of the Asthma Foundation. It is focusing on kids, dancing to help the 600,000 kiwis
with asthma. It is particularly relevant to our young people as 1 in 4 kids in New Zealand has asthma and these kids
lose 550,000 school days every year. Aaron Gilmore, the Face of the Foundation and ‘Dancing with the Stars’ winner, is
the driving force behind this new initiative. “Being physically active is an important part of being healthy for
everyone, it is especially important for people with asthma. Dancing is something everyone can do and it’s fun” says
Aaron. “Mt Pleasant School sustained some damage during the earthquakes.
As we walk around our school and see the damage we know that, as the Babysitters Circus song says, ‘Everything’s gonna
be alright’ – and this is the theme we have adopted for our video”. The Dance 4 Asthma video competition has given the
whole school an opportunity to produce a fun, positive video, and “the prize of an iPad was a pretty good incentive”,
says Heather. They have two crew, the choreography crew and the media crew. “It’s a great learning experience for the
kids. What I love about it is that it has allowed different kids to show their talents. They are leaving a legacy for
the school.” “The kids are so excited about the project that they’re coming back in their holidays with the principal to
do the editing. And you can’t ask for more than that. “ Videos for Dance 4 Asthma must be loaded onto YouTube by the 27
April. To register for Dance 4 Asthma email dance@asthmafoundation.org.nz or see our website www.asthmafoundation.org.nz
Notes:
1. About 1 in 4 New Zealand children has asthma and 1 in 6 adults.
2. New Zealand has the second highest rate of asthma in the world, following the UK.
3. About 800 000 New Zealanders are affected by asthma and other respiratory conditions.
4. It is estimated that 550,000 school days are lost each year due to asthma.
About the Asthma Foundation
The Asthma Foundation is New Zealand’s not--for--profit sector authority on asthma and other respiratory illnesses. We
advocate to government and raise awareness of respiratory illnesses, fund research for better treatments and educate on
best practice. We provide resources on our website and support our 17 affiliated Asthma Societies in providing
education, support and advice. www.asthmafoundation.org.nz
ENDS