Toi Ohomai steps up for cerebral palsy

STEPtember provided the perfect opportunity for 173 staff members from Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology to step out in support of the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand. 

STEPtember is an international fundraising event run for the month of September, encouraging people to up their fitness and challenge themselves to take 10,000 steps per day for 28 days while raising money for people living with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement. 

Toi Ohomai staff across the Bay of Plenty raised over $11,000 for the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand with CE Dr Leon Fourie raising almost half that with just over $5,300 through his personal fundraising. His team, The STEPbusters (which included Joanne Massey, Clarke Raymond and Catherine Olds), won most fundraising overall for Toi Ohomai and came second overall in New Zealand (52nd in the world) fundraising $5,604.89 in total. 

Overall, the 44 Toi Ohomai teams took a total of 4,539,5236 steps over the 28 days with Taupō Campus member, Kassandra Kingi, taking out the most steps overall with 695,534 steps (or 403km!). This brought her team, the Wandering Warriors into first place for the most steps overall. The team included Kassandra, Sue Murray, Mel Church and Alistair Penrose. 

Lee Devoy, Telephonist at the Mokoia Campus really enjoyed the challenge with her team, the Tree Trust Trotters. “It was fun to get out there to increase the steps each day – our group continue to walk each day through the Tree Trust here in Rotorua which is a beautiful place to be.”

For more information about Toi Ohomai, please visit our website: www.toiohomai.ac.nz