2008
Lee Donoghue, who plays Hunter McKay in Shortland Street, with kids on Balloon Day at Mitre 10 MEGA, Botany Downs, Auckland.
Selling raffle tickets and raising awareness in Levin.
Balloon Day is the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation’s flagship awareness and fundraising campaign that raises money for research that benefits children with asthma.
May 10 was Balloon Day and a number of activities were held around the country.
Northland: Kensington Park in Whangarei was "red with balloons" on Balloon Day. The asthma crew set themselves up in the middle of the park. Whangarei MP Phil Heatley was there and they sold "heaps" of balloons.
Photo: Chelsea Baxter, Rotorua, in balloon skirt. .
Auckland: Botany Downs Mitre 10 MEGA: Shoppers at the MEGA were tempted by the gentle sizzle of barbecued sausages on their way in to the store. Later in the morning Shortland Street star Lee Donoghue (who plays Hunter McKay) handed out balloons and signed tee shirts and the 10-man Auckland Stars basketball squad blew up 1390 balloons in an attempt to set a world record. They were beaten by another team of champion swimmers in Wellington. (Photo: Auckland Stars basketball players help blow away asthma).
Will Hall (who plays Kip Denton on Shortland Street) was at Glenfield Mitre 10 MEGA for the morning. The North Harbour rugby team signed rugby balls for a gold coin donation and there was a sausage sizzle, face-painting, a karaoke style singing competition and a raffle with a bicycle as a prize.
Tauranga: More than 70 kids and parents participated in the Bay of Plenty Asthma and Respiratory Management/Sport BOP Balloon Day family challenge at Memorial Park.
Eastern BOP: Activities for school children to raise asthma awareness. Spot prizes, plenty of healthy nibbles, and games of volleyball with balloons.
Waihi: On 10 May, the weather in Waihi was rough, so Balloon Day was held off for a week, and it was worth the wait. The following Saturday there was beautiful weather and Lions Club members held a sausage sizzle outside the local Mitre 10 Home and Trade store and sold tickets for a raffle with prizes including garden equipment and a special ‘tea for two’ including tea and biscuits.Hamilton: On the Thursday and Friday before Balloon Day, asthma stalls were held at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Chartwell, Hamilton. Our posters were displayed and balloons sold for a donation. Locals were given information about booking an asthma educator. On the day itself at the Mitre 10 MEGA in Te Rapa children had turns on exercycles while blowing through straws to simulate asthma-like breathing and blew ping pong balls around an obstacle course. Customers could guess how many balloons there were in a Nissan Pulsar…and the winner was only one off!
Rotorua: The Korowai Aroha health centres in Rotorua got right behind Balloon Day. On Tuesday, World Asthma Day, they held a stall in the City Focus promoting their service and providing education. On Balloon Day a stall was set up in the Rotorua City Central Mall, again to raise awareness, eduate and fundraise as well.
Turangi: On 9 May 2008, Tuwharetoa Health Services Ltd held a Balloon Day promotion in Turangi town centre, and despite the weather many turned up to support the day. A number of competitions were held and they got everyone from the Turangi Mall involved.
(Photo: Balloon Day in Wanganui)
Gisborne: The Gisborne and East Coast Asthma Society handed out balloons, tee-shirts, and bubble packs at Te Wharau School. More than 400 pupils participated.
Taranaki: The gods turned on a beautiful day. More than $400 worth of sausages were cooked up for the sausage sizzle and the Mitre 10 MEGA in New Plymouth very kindly donated a child's mobile playhouse as a raffle prize.
Wellington: What we believe is a world record was set by a 10-person team including top New Zealand aquatic athletes to raise awareness of asthma, at the Mitre 10 MEGA in Petone. Danyon Loader, Steven Kent, Natasha Hind, Rebecca Perrott and others blew up an impressive 1612 balloons in an hour and we've lodged a claim with Guinness World Records™(The Guinness Book of Records).
Tu Kotahi Maori Asthma Trust promoted respiratory health at a Kura Kaupapa in Lower Hutt. Interactive activities were organized to help educate the tamariki about their lungs, breathing and blowing. About 150 children participated. Later in the week at a COPD day, whanau were treated to a pampering include a massage, manicures and hair cuts. Tu Kotahi provided information packs and received a number of referrals from whanau needing support.
Nelson: The Nelson Asthma Society crew visited local GPs surgeries, preschools/kindergartens and pharmacies in the area and set up displays and distributed Balloon Day resources to raise awareness. On Balloon Day a sausage sizzle was held at the Mitre 10 MEGA in Nelson right through from 9am until 6pm.
Marlborough: A special information stand was set up near a local supermarket.
Canterbury: The Canterbury Asthma Society descended on a local primary, Aorangi school. The kids were split up into their four houses and played balloon tennis (with fly swats for racquets), completed an obstacle course, competed in balloon races, there was an asthma quiz and lung function activity. All in all very educative and loads of fun too.
Oamaru: About 40 young people spent the morning painting plant pots, then went for a run at Takara Park before planting scrubs in their newly painted pots at Mitre 10, followed by a barbecue.
(Photo: Learning about asthma in Opotiki).
Dunedin: The Asthma Society worked closely with Contact Energy staff in Dunedin. Contact kindly provided eight staff for Balloon Day. On the day at the Mitre 10 MEGA in Dunedin, Contact volunteers did a sausage sizzle and ran a stall inside the store handing out information about asthma. There were two asthma educators on site answering questions from the public and Otago Asthma pens and stickers were there for shoppers to pick up. On the Friday before Balloon Day Contact staff at the Contact's Dunedin call centre held a mufti day to raise funds. Dunedin committee members also handed out asthma fact sheets on the sidelines of the sports fields of Dunedin on Balloon Day and a balloon decorating competition attracted a lot of entries from eight primary schools in the area. Every kid that entered received a prize.
Southland: Staff at the Children's ward at Southland Hospital wore Balloon Day tee-shirts both on and off duty in the week leading up to the day, all kids coming in were given a balloon, and some were given out to adults for a gold coin donation.
At Invercargill Middle School, students and teachers dressed up as something starting with the letter 'A' or 'B' to raise asthma awareness. There was Bob the Builder, a bee, a bride, a baker and even Batman. The Foundation is still seeking updates on anyone dressed up in anything beginning with the letter 'A'.
