MEDIA RELEASE
October 26, 2010
Silver Ferns star unveils gold medal for first time to local school
Gold medal winning Silver Fern Maria Tutaia will be stepping in to her role as a different kind of champion tomorrow
when she visits St Thomas’s school in Kohimarama.
The CanTeen ambassador will be stopping by to give St Thomas’s students one of the first glimpses at her medal and
checking on the progress of their sales for the CanTeen Bandanna Challenge, which runs until the end of this month.
Maria was the star performer in the neck-and-neck Commonwealth Games final earlier this month where she scored the
winning goal against Australia.
The school has been selling the bandannas again this year for the Bandanna Challenge, which is CanTeen’s biggest annual
fundraiser.
They were winners of a prize draw to win a visit from the netball legend.
At 9.30am tomorrow, students will first hear from Maria about her big win and her passion for CanTeen and later will
have a chance to ask her their own questions of the star.
It is Maria’s third year as CanTeen ambassador and this year she also designed one of the bandannas which are still on
sale around the country.
The bandanna is a symbol for CanTeen representing hope, courage and survival and came about because young people choose
to wear one as a head covering when losing their hair from treatment.
Other 2010 designs are from ambassadors Dan Carter, Lisa Tamati , Federation Clothing, Paige Hareb and Scott Dixon.
Designs have also come this year from CanTeen patient members Samuel Gwynn Aeronwy Cording and CanTeen bereaved sibling
member Rachel Allan.
Volunteers from across New Zealand are selling the bandannas, which can be bought for $4 from PAK’nSAVE, New World, Four
Square, Farmers, BP, Repco, Burger King, Radius Pharmacy and ASB Bank outlets nationwide. Bandannas can also be bought
online at www.canteen.org.nz.
ends