This week, the Olé staff took part in the Heart Kids 360 Heart Stopper Challenge. What is that, you ask? Well, it was a challenge as chilly as they come, requiring the team to spend 6 MINUTES in ice cold water, all to raise awareness and funds for Heart Kids Wellington, and….practice taking our shiver to a new level, of course!
This is a cause close to our hearts (no pun intended!), with one of the Olé team members, Jimmy, having been a Heart Kid himself. As a ‘Heart Adult’ now, Jimmy has been involved with the Heart Kids Wellington committee for the last 12 years, holding roles as Chair and Vice-Chair. He is now the Teen and Young Adult representative for the Wellington region. He said, “Heart Kids means a lot to me. It’s been a part of me and my family for my whole life. I’m involved because I want to give back to a charity that has done so much for me and my family.”
Childhood Heart Defects are the most common serious birth abnormality in Aotearoa, NZ. Heart Kids’ mission is to provide lifelong support to all affected by a childhood heart condition.
Already advocates for the benefits of cold water, the team were excited to get behind an awesome cause and do something fun together when Jimmy pitched the idea of the Heart Stopper Challenge. “It’s amazing that Olé is able to help and support us through Heart Stopper and other events.”
Of course, it had to be turned into a competition, so the staff split into two teams to fundraise and take the plunge!
Team Blake, consisted of Blake, Mike Faber, Mike Wilson, Coach Matt and the new kid on the block Tyler Logan.
And we had Team Mark, lead by Mark and joined by Tory, James, Froy, Tyla and our other newbie Ollie!
Heading into the ice baths, the teams had collectively raised over $2000.00 for Heart Kids, with Team Blake slightly in the lead, which was later taken over by Team Mark.
In attendance were Heart Kids Wellington Chair, Rachel Hopkirk, Family Support Worker, Rebecca and Board Member Emma (also Jimmy’s mum!) to witness the pain and suffering, plus sharing the fun and laughter with everyone.
If you’re keen to see some photos and entertaining footage of the team screaming and squirming and generally freezing their limbs off, head over to our Instagram page and enjoy!
Olé will also be hosting a Football Festival for the Heart Kids Wellington community in December.
Donations are still open, with Team Mark in the lead on $1214.00 and Team Blake on $1037.00. If you’d like to, you can contribute at the links below.
TEAM MARK: https://heartstopper.org.nz/t/oleteammark
TEAM BLAKE: https://heartstopper.org.nz/t/teamblake
Learn more about Heart Kids and the Heart Stopper Challenge: https://heartkids.org.nz/news-and-events/article/the-360-heart-stopper-challenge-is-going-virtual
