What’s Up Doubles Money

24 Nov 2003

The What’s Up Charity Auction held in Auckland last Tuesday was an outstanding success.

Organisers went in to the even expecting to make about $20,000 for the cash-strapped charity and finished the night with $41,752 - raised through ticket sales and auctioned items.

The highest bid - $3000 went for a package of advertising and research services donated by Grey Worldwide. A close second was $2700 for a presentation and media training skills course donated by Maggie Eyre and Encore Communications Ltd. A signed Warriors football went to $2100.

“It was an outstanding result and far exceeded our expectations,” says What’s Up Executive Director Grant Taylor.

What’s Up, run by the Kids Help Foundation Trust, is a national call-free telephone counselling service for young people aged 5-18. Available seven days a week from midday to midnight the service receives about 452 calls a day. In the past two years it has received over 500,000 calls from children all over New Zealand.

The Charity is currently experiencing a funding crisis due to the withdrawal of two primary corporate sponsors and is on a major drive to pull in new sponsors and raise emergency funds.