A Whale of a Time - Charity Fundraiser
News Release 9 October 2013
A Whale of a Time - Charity Fundraiser
As the saying goes, ‘life begins at 40’, and for whale rescue charity Project Jonah, let’s hope that saying rings true. This November marks the start of Project Jonah’s 40th year. In that time, the group has saved the lives of hundreds of whales, trained thousands of volunteers and presented to schools up and down the country.
“Our history is something we’re really proud of” said Daren Grover, General Manager. “We were formed when a group of like-minded people got together and wanted to see whales and dolphins protected from hunting in New Zealand. From meeting in kitchens to marching on Parliament, Project Jonah has always been a grass roots charity – able to do a lot with a little”. These days, Project Jonah focuses their efforts on saving whales and dolphins when they strand, presenting at schools and working with charities like Sustainable Coastlines to protect our oceans.
However, vital funds are needed to continue their lifesaving work. Daren continues; “We were recently approached by a volunteer who wanted to help raise funds for us. We discussed several options, but the one we decided to go with is a charity fundraising evening, which we’ve called A Whale of a Time”.
A three course meal and fundraising auction will be the focus of the evening, which will be held at the Floating Pavilion in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour on Thursday 14th November.
MC for the evening will be award-winning comedian Ewen ‘The Westie’ Gilmour. Ewen has been entertaining New Zealanders for the past 15 years and in 2010 received the inaugural ‘Decade Achievement Award’ at the New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards. He has also made appearances on such television shows as Dancing with the Stars and 7 Days.
As well as Ewen, guests will be entertained on the evening by local singer Talia Dickinson and guitar virtuoso Reon Robati.
Tickets cost $125pp or $1,200 for a table of 10 and are available via the Project Jonah website (www.projectjonah.org.nz) or at www.eventfinder.co.nz.
“We’re hoping for the support of Aucklanders to really give our cause a kick-start for the coming summer stranding season. We can only do what we do with the generous support of others” said Daren.
If you wish to make a donation or have an item or service you would like to donate to the auction, please contact Daren Grover: darengrover@projectjonah.org.nz or phone 09 302 3106.
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