Motueka High School students have again thrown themselves into the annual World Vision 40 Hour Challenge, raising thousands of dollars for children in the Solomon Islands through a wide range of creative and demanding efforts.
This year, 33 students have so far raised more than $6,400 through physical and mental challenges that pushed their limits and cost them plenty of sleep. Principal Lex Davis says he is proud of the students’ commitment.
“They have shown their passions and real heart in supporting this cause. The diversity of the challenges - from tramping to songwriting - show the talent and skill in our community.”
MHS’s sports captains Kaitlyn Neil, Kaiva Paaka and Ryan Kroupa took on the challenge by choosing 40 different physical activities and exercises, and doing them 40 times… four times each!
“We decided to take on this challenge because we thought it would be a fun thing to do together, giving back and helping a good cause, and being able to show what the MHS sports captains can achieve. We had raised $537 during the time of our challenge. It went really well, and we managed to do most of them quite well. It was really fun, and we got a lot of exercise done, that's for sure.”
Great Taste Trailers Year 13 Jenny Willers and Year 12 exchange students Nikita Zamotaylov, Olivia Stutz, Philippa Kehr, and Emil Braun walked a 125km loop of the Great Taste Trail in 42 hours, raising $2000 for the cause.
“We decided to take on this challenge to stand against food insecurity. The hardest part was making the 1:10pm Rabbit Island ferry to Māpua, with no time to do medical treatment on our feet; it was just pain. We didn’t expect to raise so much money. “Big thank you to my Mum and Dad for support crewing,” says Jenny.”
Student leaders Ava Kubo, Morgan Grove-Roberts and Chalome Laitflang performed and uploaded 40 songs in 40 hours.
“40 songs in 40 hours, some original, some covers, and some outright wacky. We dedicated 40 hours straight and our sleep and sanity to raise money for the Solomon Islands this year. With over $900 raised and a mention on the 40 Hour Challenge Instagram, we would say it was a successful weekend!”
Collectively, New Zealand youth raise more than $1m each year through the 40 Hour Challenge. This year, Motueka High School is edging closer to its goal of $8,000. You can still donate to get them over the line – visit https://fundraise.worldvision.org.nz/fundraisers/motuekahighschool.
