ASB supports St John Annual Appeal

ASB is proud to support St John’s Annual Appeal month throughout April.

This year’s St John Annual Appeal fundraising campaign is focussed around ‘Heart of Gold’, and fundraising efforts will go towards buying a new national command unit. A command unit is a specialist emergency response device that helps St John staff treat people in major emergencies, such as earthquakes and flooding.

New ways to donate
To help with the street appeal, ASB has created contactless payment armbands, to make it easy to donate even if you don’t have cash. 15 ASB volunteers around the country will be equipped with the terminals. Supporters can tap the arm of an ASB fundraiser using their contactless debit/credit card to make an instant $3 donation to St John.

Supporters can also text to donate. Drawing on the popularity of mobile phone ‘emojis’, ASB has also created the opportunity for supporters to text a gold heart emoji, plus an ambulance emoji to 8595 for an automatic $3 donation to St John.

Donations can be made online at www.stjohnappeal.org.nz or to St John collectors throughout New Zealand during Annual Appeal week. Donations for the St John Annual Appeal can be made at any ASB branch.

ASB head of community, sponsorship and events Mark Graham is proud of ASB’s long-standing partnership with St John.

“Each year it’s a privilege to be involved in the St John Annual Appeal and we’re delighted to create new and innovative ways for Kiwis to donate to our key charity partner. ASB staff throughout New Zealand are heavily involved with the charity and enjoy making a difference in their local communities,” Mr Graham says.

ASB and St John
ASB and St John have enjoyed a strong and positive partnership since 2008. ASB is involved with St John in many ways; from volunteering on area committees or as Caring Callers, to contributing to the St John Annual Appeal fundraising. Additionally, all ASB branches nationwide are equipped with an AED (or heart defibrillator) and AED-trained ASB staff.

ASB also supports the national ASB St John in Schools programme, an educational first aid programme that teaches Kiwi kids life-saving skills and the confidence to take action in an emergency.