Massive Fundraiser Sees Close to $40,000 Already

Massive Fundraiser Sees Close to $40,000 Already With Four Day Count-Down to House-Party

In less than 70 hours since 220 items donated by South Island businesses went ‘live’ on high profile auction website, www.trademe.co.nz, close to $40,000 worth of bids have been made towards what is expected to be the South Island’s largest fundraiser ever with around half a million dollars the goal for Ronald McDonald House South Island.

Ronald McDonald House supports families with seriously ill children. Since opening in Christchurch in March 2003, the House has provided over 16,700 nights of accommodation free of charge to more than 450 families on over 900 separate visits.

The massive fundraising event put together by The Rotary Club of Christchurch Sunrise and Sponsored by Harcourts South Island, culminates in the Harcourts House Party, a huge auction and variety show at the Aurora Centre, Christchurch this Sunday 11 September 2005.

Harcourts Business Development Manager Jim Davis said Harcourts offices had worked with their local business communities to donate quality items to auction for the fundraiser. Most items went live on www.trademe.co.nz 4 September with a few key items to be auctioned at the Harcourts House Party.

Mr Davis noted that as of 8.30am this morning (Wednesday 7 September)
 220 listed items on Trade Me for the Harcourts House Party for Ronald McDonald House.
 Just on $38,000 worth of bids had been made.
 Close to 4,400 bids in total had been received on the items.
 Averaging out to 20 bids per item.

With a goal to achieve $500,000 for Ronald McDonald House, the ultimate auction item is the new four bedroom Harcourts Horncastle Home for Ronald McDonald House, recently completed by Horncastle Homes in their Gilberthorpes subdivision and fully furnished.

The fully furnished house will be auctioned live at the Harcourts House Party - a four-hour long ‘telethon-style’ live telecast on 11 September on CTV, Southland TV, Otago’s Regional Channel 9 station, and on Sky Digital channel 90. Multiple websites and radio stations including Newstalk ZB and Classic Hits are generously taking the coverage Island-wide.

The Harcourts House Party is being hosted by Jason Gunn, who most recently hosted the huge television hit, ‘Dancing with the Stars’. The entertainers include Ray Columbus, Yulia, Chris Cairns, Mark Hadlow, John Grenell, Olly Ohlsson, McPhail & Gadsby, and many more. Others keenly supporting the party but unable to make it on the day such as Boh Runga, award winning Scribe and Aaron Mauger, among others, are filming special messages which will be shown.

Mr Davis said, “With over 40 Harcourts offices located in the heart of their communities throughout the South Island working with families everyday, we readily identified with the crucial role Ronald McDonald House South Island plays and it has been a wonderful experience to get involved with this vital community facility.”

ENDS

Naming Rights Sponsor:
Harcourts South Island

Principal Sponsors:
CTV; The Press; Newstalk ZB; Classic Hits; Novo; Telecom; Horncastle Homes

Other Major Contributors:
Horncastle Homes

A Rotary Club of Christchurch Sunrise Event.

Background

Ronald McDonald House South Island is a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill children under the age of 20 who are transferred from all over the South Island to Christchurch for medical treatment. More than 16,700 nights of accommodation have been provided free of charge, to more than 450 families on over 900 separate visits since the House opened in March 2003: Nelson/Marlborough DHB 17%; Otago DHB 13%; South Canterbury DHB 17%; Southland DHB 22%; West Coast DHB 18%; Canterbury DHB 7%; Other 5%.

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