LBF calendar

Well, it's been an incredible year for LBF events so far and we've been bowled over by the generosity of everyone who has given their time and support to make them such a success.

Whether you wielded a golf club for our 100 Hole Challenge, sported a freshly bald head for Shave 08, or donned firefighter gear to race up the Sky Tower, you have been simply amazing. And then there are the thousands of New Zealanders who sponsored those participants and helped them reach their fundraising targets. Thank you to you all!

First up this year was our Golf Marrowthon in Tirau in March - our first in a rural area. The turn-out was fantastic and included a celebrity or two, including former Black Cap cricketer Rob Hart and New Zealand Womens’ Golf’s top amateur player Penny Smith from Rotorua. Golfers began their day-long challenge at 8.30am with former top New Zealand professional golfer, Marnie McGuire, teeing them off on the first hole.

Those participating raised over $60,000 in sponsorship and Fidelity Life CEO, Milton Jennings, was responsible for more than $21,500 of that total. Milton, who was taking part in his third Marrowthon, retained his title of champion fundraiser and broke his own previous record of $17,000 raised for the LBF!

Then we launched Shave 08 with Shave for a Cure Week in early April. So far more than 1,300 people have bravely shaved and raised around $400,000 and the feedback we have received has been fantastic. It's not too late to shave... we are still welcoming fresh heads to help us reach our target of 10,000 shavees - one for each person living with a blood cancer in New Zealand today.

On May 10, spectators gathered to watch more than 230 firefighters compete in the Firefigther Sky Tower Challenge. It was a wonderful day and we were amazed that the exhausted brigades not only achieved an astonishing physcial feat, but raised more than $94,000 for the LBF in the process.

Please keep your eyes open for up and coming LBF events. We are already working hard on planning some fun ideas for  the rest of the year and well into 2009.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us in our vision to cure, mission to care...we couldn't do it without you.