Shave for a cure
Stevenson Transport Manager Leigh Mansell wields a pair of clippers with a devilish look in her eye. She’s joined by the girls from the Vodafone cheer team – cheerleaders for the Warriors. Staff and customers urge them on
as the hair of the first victims tumbles to the ground and unfamiliar skulls are revealed in all their new vulnerability.
There’s a shout of ‘Don’t be gentle – rip into it!’ as a moustache is swiftly auctioned off for $500 and it too goes the way of the rest of the hair.
GETTING INVOLVED
Six people per day are diagnosed in New Zealand with leukaemia or a blood-related disease. Chances are you’ll know someone who has been affected.
For Stevenson’s Brett Arnold, a Masonry trade sales representative, Shave for a Cure has become something of a crusade. He took part for the first time five years ago and raised $10,000 to support the work
of the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. The second time he did it with a colleague and doubled the amount raised. This year he and Stevenson colleagues have raised around $44,000, which includes a generous
$10,000 from the Stevenson Foundation.
‘There are 20 of us altogether from Building Products taking part,’ says Brett.
‘This time Director Dave Stevenson, Building Products CEO Frank Janssen and Stevenson Managing Director John Rae are also getting a shave.
Many of our key suppliers have donated.’
HARD WORK BEHIND THE SCENES
‘We’re terrifically excited about Stevenson’s Shave for a Cure event,’ says Pru Etcheverry, Executive Director of the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation.
‘This is the third time Stevenson has taken part in Shave for us. It’s an extremely big contribution and we’re very, very appreciative.
It’s a wonderful gesture and a testament to the connections and relationships the Stevenson team has developed and the hard work people like Brett and his
colleagues have put in to raise this amount of money.
‘It’s great to see this kind of leadership from Dave Stevenson. It costs us $1000 per day to fund our patient support programme. So this generous Stevenson contribution will fund almost six weeks of our
support services.’
The patient support programme includes information and education services as well. ‘We advocate for patients and run disease awareness programmes and fund research.’
Says the Foundation’s Sponsorship Director Mark Rakich: ‘We’ve raised $400,000 since Shave Week was launched in April this year.
Although most activity is in Shave week in April, Shave events happen throughout the year. Our aim is to get 10,000 people to shave their heads.’
It’s not too late if you want to add to Stevenson’s tally at www.shaveforacure.co.nz
For further information about the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation visit www.leukaemia.org.nz
Why Shave 08 is important
• Shaving is a simple way of showing empathy and solidarity for patients with leukaemia and other blood cancers
• It’s a great team builder for your business or organisation
•The sponsorship money you raise is a vital source of income for the LBF
• It’s a cool and fun way to fundraise
• Helping to save lives actually feels pretty good
