Media release
18 July 2001
PRIME MINISTER TO HELP MAKE KORU CARE
KIDS DREAMS COME TRUE
The Koru Care Charitable Trust today announced Prime Minister Helen Clark will be one of the key faces in a new media
campaign to encourage New Zealanders to support this year’s Koru Care fundraising appeal.
The prime minister will film an endorsement for a televison commercial, to be run on SKY Television, in Auckland this
Friday. The Koru Care Appeal, called Operation Orlando, aims to raise $150,000 to send 26 children to Disneyworld and
other theme parks in Orlando, Florida, in October this year. The Koru Care Charitable Trust is dedicated to making
dreams come true for disabled and terminally ill children.
Helen Clark says the Koru Care Charitable Trust does a great job brightening the lives of disabled and terminally ill
children. “The trips that the trust organizes bring a great deal of joy to youngsters who have a lot of suffering in
their lives, and that is why I fully support its work,” Helen Clark says.
Helen Clark’s endorsement of this year’s appeal will be included in a commercial filmed using one of last year’s Koru
Care Disneyland visitors – 11-year-old Kezia Lockhart. Kezia was born with no left heart, so she has only two heart
chambers instead of four. She has had numerous operations since diagnosis at the age of three months.
SKY Television, Newstalk ZB and Air New Zealand are the major corporate sponsors of this year’s appeal. Tim Kay, Koru
Care event manager, says this is the first time we’ve had such huge corporate support to help send these children
overseas. “This wouldn’t be possible without the promotion and support these partners are providing.”
One of the highlights of the Koru Care Appeal will be a gala dinner to raise money for the trip, to be held Thursday 23
August at Crown Plaza, (formerly the Centra Hotel Auckland).
For further information, please call:
Tim Kay
Koru Care Charitable Trust
00 64 9 523 2456 (tel)
00 64 9 524 9921 (fax)
025 668 7118 (mobile)