On Sunday 23 February close to 25,000 people visited the Botanical Gardens in Manurewa for some fun, music and rock’n roll with friends, family and of course Elvis. Elvis in the Gardens is a free annual community event designed to raise money and awareness for a designated charity – this year being the Heart Foundation of New Zealand. Ray White Manurewa and Ray White Takanini were once again out in force supporting this annual appeal.
Unfortunately heart disease remains the leading killer in New Zealand, and every 90 minutes a New Zealander dies from a coronary heart disease. As this is one of the leading preventable causes of premature death in this country, the Heart Foundation of New Zealand not only help people affected by heart disease, but also fund research, and assist people in making healthy living choices and encouraging heart health.
What really brought the message home to us all, noted Kelley French from Ray White Takanini was “towards the end of the day, Sue noticed an elderly man leaning against the yellow Ray White car, looking rather white faced and unwell. While team members ran for St Johns medical staff… He apparently suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken immediately to Middlemore Hospital. Unfortunatelty, we still don’t have an update on the man’s condition, but I’m so proud of the team for the way they assisted and ran to his aide.”
The Ray White team have supported Elvis in the Gardens since it’s inception 3 years ago, and Ray White Takanini’s Sue Douglas says: “We’re delighted to be able to support and give back to our local community”. A huge hit with the kids this year, the Ray White team gave away a giant teddy bear in their “guess how many balloons in the Ray White Car” competition. The 134 balloons proved quite a challenge for the team to inflate and tie-off with ribbon – and surprisingly it was a correct guess that claimed the prize. – The team also gave away some Ray White piggy banks “to start saving for your first home”.
