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The Summit Rescue Helicopter service is a testimony to the generosity and support of the communities of Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough and Buller.

The funding organisation for the service, the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust, is structured to ensure that funds raised are used to support our rescue missions. Our relationship with our major sponsor Summit Real Estate and their team of agents with additional support from the New Zealand Community Trust means all of our operational costs are covered.

This means any additional funds raised in the community all go directly to equipping, training and supporting our helicopter crews and the team of volunteers who carry out the missions. The work of these volunteers, who operate the winch on the helicopters and are rostered around the clock, would not be possible without the support of their employers.

Many of our sponsors support us with products or services allowing us to communicate with the community and run events to promote our service with minimal direct expenditure.

All donations - corporate sponsorship, gaming machine grants, local service groups and public donations - go towards the purchase of vital emergency equipment, medical equipment, crew training, unpaid missions and repairs and maintenance.

We have seen some changes in sponsorship over the last few months and would like to thank our old sponsors for their support and welcome our new sponsors to our family.

Regards,

Paula Muddle - Marketing & Communications Manager

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August 2009 - 23

July 2009 - 22

June 2009 - 16

May 2009 - 15

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The Summit Rescue Helicopter service has gone from strength to strength with the purchase of new equipment and the ongoing training of our crew. Missions are up 20% on 2008 and we have responded to 184 missions year to date.

PAYROLL GIVING

With the passage of new legislation allowing charitable donations to be made directly by employees from their wage packet, there is now an easy way for employees to show us their support and help fund the Summit Rescue Helicopter service.

Employee donations are limited only by the amount of their pay packet.

If your business is interested in becoming involved, this could make a huge difference to the way we fundraise, even if we had 100 employees, regularly donating as little as $2 a week, this amounts to $10,400 a year.

The Payroll Giving legislation allows willing employers and willing employees to make regular donations to charity before tax. The key advantage to employees is that they get an immediate tax break rather than having to collect receipts and claim at the end of the year.

If you would like any further information about the new legislation, don't hesitate to contact me - 03 547 7278.

NEW EQUIPMENT / TRAINING / OPERATIONS

We have just ordered a 2,000L Aviation Fuel Tanker thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Nelson, New Zealand Groundspread Fertislier Association and Eureka Trust. This will be used for fire fighting and on Search and Rescue missions where it will be towed to their base of operations so we can refuel and not have to return to base, saving valuable time. Our search and rescue missions have doubled over the last year with the use of our new beacon tracker and night vision goggle technology.

Other equipment purchased, training and operations grants, include:

Operations - New Zealand Community Trust

Suction Unit - Manchester Unity Friendly Society

Crew Helmets - Registered Master Builders Association

Carabiners - Helping Hands Quiz Nights

FUNDRAISING EVENTS

New Zealand Groundspread Fertisiler Association - Charity Auction

In July the New Zealand Groundspread Fertiliser Association held their national conference in Nelson. The local Association hosted the charity auction which raised $13,448. A big thank you to all the businesses around New Zealand who donated products from truckloads of lime to an All Blacks jersey and to the Nelson Association for coordinating the successful Auction.

May Awareness Month

Our annual awareness month was kick started with a motorbike ride through the streets of Nelson, with a turnout of over 300 bikes. Other fundraising and activities throughout the month included selling helicopter cookies which were incredibly popular and rather addictive for some, base open day, appeal day and flight to school competition. Although we were in the midst of a recession, we still managed to raise $38,159 - up 2% on 2008's effort. A big thanks to all the Summit Real Estate agents and Westpac staff who volunteered their time throughout the month.

Registered Master Builders Association - Charity Auction

In April the Registered Master Builders Association held their national conference in Blenheim. The conference was hosted by both the Nelson and Blenheim Associations who chose the Summit Rescue Helicopter as their charity of choice for the annual charity auction which is part of their conference programme. We had incredible support from local and national businesses who provided auction items and the master builders were extremely generous and competitive in their bidding. The evening raised just over $30,000 for the Trust which has been used to purchase new crew helmets.

Area7 Recreational Fishing Group - Fishing Competition & Auction

In March the Area7 Recreational Fishing Group held their annual fishing competition. They had a great weekend with a fantastic turnout with $5,474 being raised in their charity fish auction.