AUCTION RAISES $7,800 FOR AH FOUNDATION
Andrea Hewitt’s competition bike and race suit, Richie McCaw’s rugby jersey and shorts, George Bennett’s cycling jersey
and a Revbox stationary bike trainer were among the list of amazing items sold at auction on last Thursday evening to
celebrate the launch of the AH Foundation. A total of $7,800 was raised for the foundation which aims to support
up-and-coming athletes.
Current world number two triathlete, Kiwi Andrea Hewitt has worked closely with Perpetual Guardian to set up a
Foundation in her name. The AH Foundation will support athletes who may not otherwise be able to afford training and
equipment.
Andrea, who attended the event with supporters from Christchurch’s business and triathlon community, was overwhelmed by
the auction’s success. “It was an amazing result and I am thankful for the generosity of those who opened their wallets
and made solid bids on the auction items.
“The funds raised will go a long way to supporting young athletes in the triathlon community, which has seen a decline
over the years. I think this comes down to several factors, but the biggest ones would have to be cost, resources and
training facilities. I want to support young athletes by giving them the same opportunities I had and I plan to do that
through my work with the foundation."
Andrea has been able to establish the AH Foundation thanks to a new philanthropy model. The Perpetual Guardian
Foundation, which promotes ‘everyday philanthropy’ as an affordable and accessible way of giving, has established a sub
fund and donated seed funding of $50,000 to launch Andrea’s philanthropic coaching programme for up-and-coming athletes.
Kirsten Taylor, Philanthropy Services Manager at Perpetual Guardian, was amazed by the support of those who attended the
event. On behalf of Perpetual Guardian, I would like to thank everyone for getting behind Andrea’s vision to support New
Zealand’s athletes. The auction was a great success and wouldn’t have generated the result that it did without the
enthusiasm of Mark Dineen from Tavendale and Partners who lead the auction.
“The AH Foundation is a wonderful example of our vision and intentions when we established the Perpetual Guardian
Foundation as an umbrella vehicle for people like Andrea, who want to be everyday givers and have a purpose they’re
passionate about. Having an umbrella structure reduces the governance and compliance costs while enabling our donor
clients to focus on what they are great at.”
Andrea is already inviting young athletes to join her in her own training. She says since she started swimming on
Sundays, around 15 other youngsters have joined the weekly Christchurch session alongside her. And though the AH
Foundation will, over time, offer financial support to young athletes seeking to reach the upper echelons of
competition, people of any age wanting to train with a group are welcome to be a part of the programme.
In line with legislation for charities, the AH Foundation operates with the charitable objective of advancing purposes
beneficial to the community – in this case, education and health. It is a charitable entity registered as part of the
Perpetual Guardian Foundation, with reporting obligations to Charities Services and an advisory board comprising of
Andrea and Dr John Hellemans, the Christchurch-based sports medicine practitioner and well-known New Zealand triathlon
coach.
How to contribute
. Visit this link for more information.