Show your big heart - volunteer for the Big Heart Appeal street collection 2022

Published: 12 November 2021

The Heart Foundation is calling for New Zealanders to show their big hearts by volunteering for its single most important fundraising campaign of the year on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 February 2022.

With the 2021 street collection cancelled due to Covid-19, the Heart Foundation is determined to continue fundraising for life-saving heart research and other vital support services.

“Improvements in the management of conditions such as heart failure, heart attacks and heart rhythm disorders are examples of some of the advances we’ve made to improve heart health outcomes for New Zealanders, made possible through generous public donations,” says Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin.

“We want to continue these incredible advances and enable our researchers, innovators, doctors and nurses to keep shifting the dial to improve heart health for New Zealanders and their families.

“This is why our Big Heart Appeal is so important. Our volunteers around the country make a huge difference to our ability to raise vital funds and transform the heart health of New Zealanders and save lives.”

Today we proudly launch our campaign to recruit thousands of New Zealanders to volunteer a few hours of their time in February 2022 to help us raise vital funds. Heart disease is still the single biggest killer of men and women in New Zealand. Every 90 minutes, one New Zealander dies of heart disease.

35-year-old Jeff McEwan from Wellington will be joining the thousands of volunteers across the country next February.

Jeff is an enthusiastic cyclist and kayaker who has competed in the gruelling Coast to Coast multi-sport event. But in October 2019, his life changed after he survived two major heart attacks followed by three complicated heart surgeries. Since his life-changing experience, Jeff has channelled his energy into fundraising for the Heart Foundation, including volunteering as an Area Coordinator in the Big Heart Appeal.

“Helping out with the Big Heart Appeal is just a little way to give back and raise awareness for heart disease,” Jeff says.

The Heart Foundation is asking for volunteers to collect funds for a couple of hours during the two-day event. All volunteers will be provided advice on how to keep themselves and the public safe and follow any health orders for Covid-19 that may still be in place in February.

Visit heartfoundation.org.nz/sign-up or call 0800 BIG HEART (0800 244 432) to sign up for the Big Heart Appeal street collection.