Would you ‘dare to bare’ for hospice?

Shorts 4 Hospice 2224 DG 001: The staff at Tauranga Girls’ College celebrating Shorts 4 Hospice in 2020. Photo supplied.

Waipuna Hospice's annual Shorts 4 Hospice is back, and it's expected to be bigger, brighter, and better than ever.

Fundraising executive Wayne Bloxham says this time participants aren't just challenged to wear shorts on the shortest day of the year, June 21, but they've also created a ‘dare board'.

'You can really get creative,” says Wayne. 'We want to see people out on the streets of Tauranga in their shorts, snapping pictures of themselves completing our dares at iconic locations and then passing on the challenge to others. It's a fun way to help raise funds for hospice.”

The event was first run in 2016 and in that time has caught the imagination of local businesses keen to get involved.

'Our corporates do a great job raising money through office events and in the past, we've even had a fashion show. Participants can donate individually or create a team to come up with a creative way to fundraise. We loved that the Omokoroa Golf ladies had an event and the Orange City Square & Round Dance group organised a fundraising dance day,” says Wayne.

Shorts 4 Hospice culminates on the shortest day when it's hoped people around the Bay will wear their brightest, boldest shorts.

'In our best year, we collected $13,000 but the last few years have been difficult due to Covid, so we really need the community to help us set a new record,” says Wayne.

'We don't get direct government funding. While some of our services are contracted by the district health board, there is an annual shortfall. This year it equates to $4.2 million, that's just more than $81,000 per week that we need to find to keep operating.”

Waipuna Hospice is currently caring for around 250 people with terminal illnesses. 'Hospice isn't a building,” says Wayne.

'We're going into people's homes to support them and their families where they feel the most comfortable. All the money raised goes to helping the terminally ill and the bereaved in our community, so this is a chance to support that work.”

To sign up for Shorts 4 Hospice and to see the running tally of donations, visit: https://2022-shorts-for-hospice.raisely.com/

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