During the July school holidays kids were encouraged to abandon the couch, DVDs and Playstation in favour of getting active and shaking off stress – all in aid of a fabulous cause.

From Monday 6 July to Sunday 19 July, Botany Town Centre and LynnMall Shopping Mall in Auckland, and The Palms Shopping Centre in Christchurch, set up specially-built Fit2Fly adventure courses to encourage kids to keep moving during the holidays.

For every child that had a go on the Fit2Fly course, $1 was be donated to the Foundation for Youth Development’s (FYD) Project K – a proactive programme that involves three key stages: a three week Wilderness Adventure that provides challenges and grows self-confidence, away from students’ normal environment; a 10-day Community Challenge that helps transfer new found confidence into day-to-day life and build knowledge of community resources; and finally a year-long mentoring partnership that focuses on providing support and encouragement towards achieving goals.

Over the two weeks of the holidays, the shopping centres aim was to get more than 10,000 kids moving, and in the process raise as much as possible for the work of Project K.

Bruce Pilbrow, a Families Commissioner and CEO of Parenting Inc, says it’s important for kids to let off steam when they’re not at school. “Kids can get just as stressed as adults, and they need activity. Sitting in front of the TV or computer, especially if the weather is grim, means they’re not getting a much-needed energy vent, and it’s important for kids to keep active daily – the more the better,” he says.

The Fit2Fly course let kids loose on an activity course where they test their abilities running through tyres, sliding under cargo nets, balancing on low beams, navigating obstacles, walking the plank and shooting basketball hoops.

As an added incentive, each child that takes on the adventure course went into a draw to win an extreme adventure prize pack, with the winner and a friend taken on an extreme day out. The prize was be drawn randomly from the pool of entries, so the more turns they took on the adventure course the greater their chance of winning.

Kids could also win points for their schools, so schools with the highest percentage of entrants were awarded LynnMall, Botany and The Palms shopping vouchers. First prize was be $2,000, second prize $1,000, and third prize $500. The winning school  also got the chance to nominate a deserving student and a friend to fill two extra spots on the extreme adventure day out.

“We’re delighted to be helping to get kids stimulated during the holidays and offering prizes to encourage them to get involved,” says Botany Town Centre manager Jennifer Manning.  “We hope to raise even more money for Project K this year and would love to see 20,000 kids through the Fit2Fly courses, to help get behind this wonderful cause.”

The centres’ Fit2Fly activities in 2008 raised $10,000 around the country for Project K.
ends

For further information, please contact:
Petra Mihaljevich
Alexander Communications
+64 (0)7 522 5544
+64 (0)27 477 1573
petra@alexandercomms.co.nz

Jennifer Manning
Botany Town Centre
+64 (0)9 272 3888
jennifer.manning@ampcapital.com

Shelley Jenkin
LynnMall Shopping Centre
+ 64 (0)9 826 2336
Shelley.Jenkin@ampcapital.co.nz
Notes for editors

About Botany Town Centre
Situated approximately 19km southeast of Auckland, Botany Town Centre is one of New Zealand’s largest retail developments, with 169 specialty stores. Its retailers range from Dick Smith Electronics to Rebel Sports and a full complement of banks, fashion stores, and New Zealand’s most popular café and restaurant chains. The centre includes one of Auckland’s largest Farmers stores and a New World supermarket. The centre provides diverse entertainment choices from the Circle Lounge at Berkeley Cinema to the award-winning Cock and Bull pub.

About LynnMall Shopping Centre
LynnMall has more than 120 specialty stores. The centre is situated in New Lynn, West Auckland and is a short drive from Auckland’s CBD. LynnMall caters to all needs and interests, with major retailers including Foodtown, Farmers, JB HI-FI, Bond and Bond, Noel Leeming, Postie+, Stirling Sports, LynnMall Lollipops Educare and Whitcoulls.

Foundation for Youth Development (FYD)
FYD is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Graeme Dingle and Jo-anne Wilkinson and is a leader in the field of youth development in New Zealand.  Foundation for Youth Development provides young people with the opportunity to build self-confidence and learn valuable life skills by participating in unique development programmes from the time they start primary school through to the end of high school.  Through Foundation for Youth Development’s current programmes – Kiwi Can, Stars, Project K and youth offender programmes – they help over 18,000 young people each year to be confident, healthy individuals who contribute positively to society.

Tags: Alexander Communications, Botany Town Centre, Bruce Pilbrow, Families Commissioner, Fit2Fly, Foundation for Youth Development, Jennifer Manning, July school holidays, LynnMall Shopping Mall, Parenting Inc, Project K, The Palms Shopping Centre, Wilderness Adventure, Wynton Rufer

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