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Did you know that half of all New Zealanders will experience mental distress at some point in their lives?
Did you know that the Mental Health Foundation website has over 1 million hits a year and roughly 3000 users a day?
Did you know that we can always take a stand and make a difference where it matters most?
Did you know that you can play a silly game of Four Square and break an official Guinness World Record?!
Starting at 9am on October 3rd, an amazing group of young men from within our Manukura GPS leadership group set out to make a difference for the Mental Health Foundation.
30 Hours later; overwhelmed, exhausted and sore, they could proudly say that they had done so. Over this thirty hour stint, ten young men had endeavoured to play a non-stop game of four square. Armed with an incredible support crew who provided kai, coffee runs, a tech set up with more cables then I have ever seen in my life and enthusiasm to boot, we stuck at what seemed like an impossible task and ultimately ended our attempt surrounded by aroha, encouragement and support from our fantastic wider community.
The weekend's game was remarkable in many ways. Seeing the ability of our young men to remain positive and supportive of one another despite challenge and adversity was deeply inspiring. The willingness for our friends, whanau and wider community to give their time in supporting was even more so. It was mind blowing also, to view the vast array of people willing to support our kaupapa by donating to our GiveaLittle page out of their own pockets. Knowing that everything we were striving to achieve was going to make a difference across Aotearoa and that the cause we were supporting was something relevant to ourselves and our own lives.
By the end of the weekend, the Manukura GPS group not only successfully raised over $12,000 for the Mental Health Foundation but in doing so had broken the official Guinness World Record for the Longest marathon game of four square. This I think is pretty special. But it also doesn't happen without being surrounded by special people. Thank you to everyone who gave their time, their kind words, financial support, checked the live stream, baked, cleaned up after us or helped in any other possible way. That is what it is all about.
It is also summed up in the picture below. Taken just after our record attempt ended it is a signal that we only get through things together.
He aha te mea nui o te ao - He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
Matua Sam Ward, Manukura GPS
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