Release date: 22/03/2010
Queensland financial planners are helping fund life saving heart research while giving their own hearts a work out.
Sixty staff from Q Invest, Queensland’s public sector financial planner, are seeking support from family and friends to raise almost $50,000 for The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation to fund the next stage of the BiVACOR artificial heart. Chairman of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, Mr John Hamilton, said the Q Invest LIVE! Challenge will run for 12 weeks. “Challengers have been given a menu of things they can do to improve their health such as drinking two litres of water a day, reducing harmful activities and setting a personal health goal. They’ll earn points for each task they achieve each day,” Mr Hamilton said. “The Challengers will ask people to commit an amount for every point they earn, aiming to raise $46,000 in the next three months to fund the miniaturisation of the BiVACOR artificial heart, to make it suitable for human use.” Already 60 Q Invest staff have taken up the LIVE! Challenge. Challengers will seek sponsorship from family and friends to achieve specific goals such as getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, eating enough fruit and vegetables, cutting down on junk food and alcohol and quitting smoking. “By taking steps to improve their own heart health, Q Invest staff will also be supporting life saving medical research,” Mr Hamilton said. Q Invest’s General Manager Bill Danaher said there were very clear parallels for the company in its support of the BiVACOR project. “Our clients come from around the State and we have an office in the Chermside community. The essence of our work is helping clients with financial confidence so that they can live better,” Mr Danaher said. “In many ways, our relationship with The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation and the BiVACOR project is a great fit for Q Invest,” Q Invest signed a memorandum of understanding with The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation in November to provide $25,000 over five years to support the BiVACOR project. Information about The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation and research we support is available online at www.tpchfoundation.org.au. Companies interested in holding a fundraising corporate health challenge can contact the Foundation on 3139 4636. Download the media release (pdf)
Media contacts: Christine Atkinson, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation ph (07) 3139 6350