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The National Heart Foundation
of New Zealand
PO Box 17530, Greenlane
Auckland 1546
www.heartfoundation.org.nz
Freephone: 0800 830 100
Email: [email protected]
12456 HS99-F999-NPC
Mrs Sam Sample
123 Sample Street
North Shore NZ City 2324
Sample Town
22 September 2008
Dear Mrs Sample
I am writing to sincerely thank you for your support of the Heart Foundation as a generous donor. All of
us here at the Heart Foundation truly appreciate your commitment to protecting your loved ones from New
Zealand’s biggest killer: cardiovascular (heart, stroke and blood vessel) disease.
Today, I also have an urgent and very personal request to make of you. Will you please consider changing
the way you give by becoming a special Heart Foundation Heart Saver with a regular, monthly gift of $5?
In the time since generous supporters like you first began supporting the Heart Foundation, thousands
of New Zealanders have already been touched through your generosity. Thousands of lives have been saved,
and every day, with your support, we get one step closer to achieving our goal of vastly improving the heart
health of all New Zealanders.
Because you have already demonstrated your commitment to this goal, I feel confident in asking you
to please make this simple, yet incredibly powerful change in the way you give to the Heart Foundation, by
committing to a regular gift of $50 each month.
Changing to monthly giving is easy. Each month, an amount is deducted from your bank account or
credit card. You have complete control over your gifts, and you can choose to increase or decrease the
amount whenever you like, or stop your monthly gifts altogether, if you ever need to.
The reason we are asking you to change the way you give is simple. Our Medical Director, Professor
Norman Sharpe, explains:
“The heart health of New Zealanders has improved steadily over the past four decades but there are
now some worrying trends as we look to the future. There appears to be a new wave of heart disease
occurring in relatively younger people. This is due to the current epidemics of obesity and diabetes
which pose a particular threat to the future health of our children.”
I do not mean to alarm you, but I want to ensure that you, as a committed supporter of our work, are
aware of the challenges we face as a nation – and to let you know how you can help turn the situation around.
We already know what an enormous impact we can have on individuals. I am constantly meeting people
who through your support have been helped by the work of the Heart Foundation, and you should be proud
to be part of that.
I’m thinking, for instance, of Mike Kunz, in many ways a typical Kiwi bloke in his 40s. We’ve written to
you, Mrs Sample about Mike before – you may remember his story.
Mike has a family history of heart disease; his father sadly passed away from a heart attack at just 57;
Mike’s mother has a pacemaker.
But that did not prepare Mike for his own experience when he suffered a myocardial infarction – a heart
attack – at just 45. When we spoke to him, he told us:
“At the time of my heart attack, although my GP was monitoring my blood pressure and I was on
medication, I thought everything was under control.
But then, on 7 February 2006, my wedding anniversary, I was warming down after a lunchtime session at
the gym when I started to feel uncomfortable.
It was a hot day; I was sweating and breathing heavily and started to feel dizzy. I had a shower, bought
lunch and walked back to work. I drank some water and returned to my desk, but I continued to sweat,
was short of breath and dizzy.
I’m so lucky that one of my colleagues had just been on a first aid course. He immediately suggested I
might be having a heart attack, and called an ambulance.
Two hours later I was on the operating table having an angiogram and angioplasty, and doctors put a
stent into my right coronary artery.”
At first Mike was in denial. Like many of us who have been lucky enough to enjoy good health
throughout our lives, he says he thought that he was indestructible.
His heart attack brought him face-to-face with his own mortality, and he asked himself the inevitable
question: Why did this happen to me?
Mrs Sample, not only can cardiovascular disease – CVD – happen to any one of us, it is incredibly likely
that almost every one of us will be touched by it at some time in our lives.
CVD (which includes heart, stroke and blood vessel disease) is the leading cause of death in New
Zealand, accounting for 40 percent of deaths every year.
In fact, on average one New Zealander dies of CVD every hour.
Bleak as these numbers may sound, the good news is that many of these deaths could be prevented.
This is why your support of the Heart Foundation is so important, and why today I am asking you to please
consider changing the way you give by becoming a Heart Saver with a regular, monthly gift of just $50.
This is a new donor programme here at the Heart Foundation, one I hope you will join because your
regular gifts will help us to do a number of important things.
Firstly, they will help us fund more research projects which are the key to better diagnosis, prevention
and treatment of CVD. Professor Norman Sharpe cannot stress enough the importance of research:
“Most of the gains in heart health that we’ve made over the past four decades can be related directly
to the research investment made during this time, but we need to increase our funding commitment for
research in the future.
At present we are only able to support about one-quarter of the research project applications we
receive. Among the many deserving projects we are unable to fund could be several that could lead to
heart health improvement for New Zealanders. At the same time we would like to increase our level of
funding for fellowships and scholarships to ensure that our young graduates can have the highest quality
experience in heart research and modern clinical practice.”
Over the next 3 years I would like to be able to increase the number of research projects we are able to
fund by 50%. The best way for us to do this is to ensure we have regular, predictable income each month,
which is why I urgently need to find 625 Heart Saver supporters who can commit to a monthly gift today.
Apart from vital research, a key area of our work – again, something which happens thanks to the
ongoing support of generous people like you Mrs Sample – is helping to improve the lives of tens of
thousands of New Zealanders, like Mike, who are living with CVD every day.
The Heart Foundation, with your help, is there to guide them through their recovery and assist them with
making lifestyle changes in order to lead relatively happy, healthy lives, as Mike has done.
“The Heart Foundation has helped my recovery through their excellent resources and networks. I
completed a cardiac rehab programme at Wellington Hospital, and then joined WELL.Heart, my local
cardiac club.
The Heart Foundation also encouraged me to resume my physical activities as quickly as possible. I
am a foundation member of WELL.Heart’s Terrace Walking Group, which meets weekly at the Heart
Foundation’s Wellington offices for a lunchtime walk.
Their written materials are incredibly useful, particularly the pamphlets on heart disease and its
prevention, and healthy eating. The cookbooks are invaluable – I can enjoy tasty meals which are good
for my heart health.
Their education programmes have also been incredibly helpful, and through the Heart Foundation’s
rehab work I have been able to rebuild my confidence which took a huge knock after my heart attack.”
Monthly giving is one of the best ways for you to support the Heart Foundation, and through us, to help
people like Mike.
If I can find 625 loyal supporters like you who are willing to make this change to the way you give and
become a special Heart Saver supporter with a gift of $50 each month (just 166 cents a day), then I know we
can achieve even more.
Together, you and I can have an enormous impact on the lives of ordinary people, including those like
Dorothy Vaha’akolo, a 56-year-old mother of five children and grandmother of twelve grandchildren.
Like Mike, Dorothy had little warning of her heart attack, which she suffered while out shopping one day
earlier this year. She took herself to her GP, who immediately called an ambulance.
There, she was diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure), and referred to a cardiac rehabilitation
programme which is helping her control the condition.
Dorothy knows how lucky she is to be alive – four years ago her husband, Hillman, suffered a sudden,
unexpected heart attack right in front of her and died immediately. He was only 50. He and Dorothy had been
married for 32 years.
Dorothy, through a combination of medication, exercise, and changes to her diet, is looking forward to
many more years spending time with her children and grandchildren and watching them grow up.
“My family and in particular my 7-year-old grandson inspire me to look after myself. I’ve found that
going to the Heart Foundation meetings, having a cardiac rehab nurse visit me to do regular check-ups
and attending cardio exercise classes have all been great – and it’s shown me that someone cares.
I just wish I had known about the programmes the Heart Foundation runs four years ago. I might have
been able to encourage my late husband to look after himself and visit the doctor more often. Maybe he’d
still be here with me today.”
Mrs Sample, each year we invest in the heart health of New Zealanders by funding new research,
supporting the most promising existing studies, and continuing our support services for people like Mike and
Dorothy.
Since the establishment of the Heart Foundation in 1968, heart disease death rates have fallen by
approximately 50%. That’s why the Heart Foundation needs the solid financial basis that only committed,
monthly Heart Saver donors can provide.
Guaranteed funds will help us ensure our community education programmes can continue, and that we
can fund promising research into CVD.
I would like to reassure you how safe and easy monthly giving is, and that you remain in complete
control of payments. The enclosed leaflet on regular giving should answer most of your questions, but if you
would like more information, or to make a change to your payment, or even cancel it altogether, you can just
call us on 0800 830 100.
At the end of the financial year we will send you a statement detailing all your donations that year, and
you’ll be kept up-to-date on the wonderful work your regular gifts are contributing to.
Please, change the way you give today by committing to a monthly gift of $50 and become a special
Heart Foundation Heart Saver today. Thank you.
Yours sincerely
Tony Duncan
Executive Director
Heart Foundation
P.S. Mrs Sample, I am truly grateful for all your support. Because you obviously care about improving the
heart health of not just your loved ones but all New Zealanders, I am asking you to change the way you give
and commit to $5 each month as a Heart Saver supporter. I have just signed up to this new donor programme
myself, and I invite you to join me today. Thank you.
The National Heart Foundation
of New Zealand
PO Box 17530, Greenlane
Auckland 1546
www.heartfoundation.org.nz
Freephone: 0800 830 100
Email: [email protected]
Take a stand against the biggest threat
to your family and friends.
To: Tony Duncan, Executive Director
From:<Mailingname>
Step
1 Choose your amount
YES, <I/we> would like to change the way <I/we> give by becoming a Heart Saver, and committing to a
regular monthly gift of:
$ <RGAsk1>
$ <RGAsk2> $ <RGAsk3>
Other $ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (per month)
Step 2 Choose your payment method
« ID» / «APPEAL CODE>
Option 1: Credit Card Payment
Card Type:
MasterCard
Visa
Amex
Diners
Name on Card:
Card Number: Expiry Date: Option 2: Direct Debit Payment
Please complete the Direct Debit Authority Form provided.
By completing this form I/we authorise the Heart Foundation to arrange for the nominated funds to be debited from my/our bank account on
the 25th day of each month or last working day prior (If the 25th day falls on the weekend or public holiday) until further written notification.
Step
3 Complete your authorisation
Your Authorisation: I/We authorise the Heart Foundation to debit the selected account or credit card with the
amount specified unless otherwise notified. This authority is to remain in force until further notice.
Date:
Signature(s):
Step 4 Please return the completed forms to us in the envelope provided or one addressed to:
Freepost 1458, Heart Foundation, PO Box 17530, Greenlane, Auckland, 1546
<Personalised, w/W>ould you please check we have your details correct? Thank you
<<Urn>>/ <<appeal code>>
<Mailing name>
<Address1>
<Address2>
<Address3>
<Suburb> <state> <postcode>
<Country>
Date of birth*:
<Respmech DOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . >
*As part of current privacy legislation you are entitled to view all your personal information held by the Heart Foundation.
The Heart Foundation respects your privacy. If you have any questions about privacy, please call 0800 830 100.
Thank you <mailing name> for your support.
Donations of $5 and over are tax deductible.
The Heart Foundation is dedicated to reducing the risk of
cardiovascular disease – heart, stroke and blood vessel
disease – for all New Zealanders.
Since our formation in 1968, we have assisted people with
cardiovascular disease, funded vital heart-health research,
supported health professionals in their practice, developed
health promotion activities, informed and educated the
public, and worked with high risk groups through dedicated
prevention programmes. In fact, since our inception, heart
disease death rates in New Zealand have halved.
Thanks to the generosity and support of the New Zealand
public, our charity is able to continue its ground-breaking
work into the future. Thank you for helping us provide Kiwis
with the very best heart health information and funds for
cutting edge research, that will help keep New Zealanders
together for longer.
Become a
Heart Saver
How you can help people like Mike
Where your gifts will go
Changing the way you give to the Heart Foundation by
becoming a regular giver is one of the most important
steps you can take.
Education and support
The Heart Foundation’s cardiac rehabilitation programmes
help people like Mike who are living with heart disease, make
essential changes to their lifestyle, so they can return to as
‘normal’ a life as possible following a cardiac event.
Your regular monthly gift will fund long-term research
programmes which will help people whose lives are changed
– even devastated – by cardiovascular disease. It also assists
in the overseas training of young cardiologists through the
granting of fellowships. When these doctors return, these
skills improve the quality of patient care in our hospitals.
Guaranteed regular income from our supporters also means
that we can commit to other work including community
engagement, awareness and education programmes to
reduce the impact of cardiovascular disease on individuals
and their families.
“Cardiovascular disease is the single largest cause
of death in New Zealand, yet heart attacks and
strokes are largely preventable. Public education
about the risk factors is important and the Heart
Foundation is a key organisation that does
this work.
The Heart Foundation is actively involved in,
and encourages a wide range of research
around preventing cardiovascular disease
and improving heart health. It plays a
critical role in the lives of New Zealanders
through prevention and rehabilitation
programmes. I have benefited from
these programmes – and from research
funded years ago – and I know what a
difference it can make.
By supporting them you are
helping to improve the life
expectancy and quality of life of all
New Zealanders. It may be your
life or someone close to you that
will benefit from your support.”
Mike Kunz, heart attack survivor and
supporter of the Heart Foundation, with
wife Catherine and their son David.
Vital research
Much of the research we fund is linked to practical
outcomes that benefit people like Mike. A study by
Dr Elizabeth Broadbent is looking at helping people who
have had a heart attack understand their level of risk from
further heart problems, and encouraging them to make the
necessary lifestyle changes to avoid a further episode.
How regular giving works
Each month, a regular amount is automatically deducted
from your credit card or bank account. You choose how
much to give, and you can increase or decrease the
amount, or even cancel your payment, at any time.
At the end of the financial year you’ll receive a
statement detailing your payments, which you can
use to help complete your tax return.
And you can contact us at any time to
discuss your regular gifts by calling
Freephone 0800 830 100.
Become a Heart Saver today
Simply complete the enclosed form,
send it back to us, and your gifts will
start having an immediate impact.
We’ll keep in touch with regular
updates on how your donations are
being used, and how you are having a
real and positive impact on individuals
and families through the work of the
Heart Foundation.
Thank you!