26 July
Staff and prisoners at Spring Hill Corrections Facility in North Waikato who travelled around 1200 kilometres on a track inside the prison raised $3521.82 for the Waikato/ Bay of Plenty Cancer Society.
“Between sponsors, staff donations and prisoner contributions we raised $3521.82 for the Cancer Society during our relay event in April. We are very happy to be supporting the work of the Cancer Society and the amount raised is an achievement that we are very proud of,” says Prison Manager Gavin Dalziel.
“We now have a fantastic certificate to hang in the prison and a target to reach, and then exceed, when we run the event again next year.”
Teams of selected prisoners kept the baton on the track until 8.30pm on the Friday before being locked in their cells for the night. Staff continued the batons journey through the night and prisoners were unlocked at 7.00am to complete the relay at 10.00am. 250 laps of the course over twenty hours were completed and the number of participants circuiting the track meant around 1,200 kilometres was travelled.
Julia Wilson, Cancer Society spokesperson, says the result was extremely impressive and will make a significant contribution to the society’s activities.
“To raise over $3000 is a fantastic result and we will be putting the money toward vital community services. This event shows that cancer affects everyone, and it unites people to help make a positive difference in their community.”
As well as collecting the proceeds from the event, the Cancer Society chose the winner of a competition for prisoners to design a logo for future events. An entry that depicted a person walking along a fern below the words ‘giving is living’ was chosen. The winning prisoner received a $10.00 phone card.
Unit 15, a high security unit in the prison, donated $511.32 and were the highest contributing unit in the prison. They now have the honour of holding on to the specially carved baton that was used during the relay as a trophy for their efforts.
“I was really, really proud of how the whole site came together for the event. The staff that set it up did an outstanding job and every single person’s passion for the cause made it very successful. Regardless of who you are cancer affects everyone - inside a prison or out,” says Mr Dalziel.
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