Last updated: 22 Jul, 2019
Published on: 9 Jun, 2014
Amata waxes lyrical about fundraising for PetRescue
We love hearing about and giving thanks to those who go above and beyond to support the PetRescue mission. That’s why, when we heard about Amata’s big drive to fundraise, we just had to give him a big shout-out. Through a series of events and personal milestones, Amata raised over $3,500 for rescue pets.
A life-long pet lover, Amata has always been passionate about caring for his furry family members. “I was doing a development course, and they asked us all what would touch, move and inspire us to fundraise,” he explains. “My immediate thought was animals. Animals have always been a love of mine, and I’ve had many pets - all adopted or taken in when people I know had to give them up.
“What really inspired me to support PetRescue was their No Kill policy - I read through it, researched it and just thought, wow, these guys are doing some great things for the little guys. I can’t bear the thought of a healthy homeless animal being put down just for convenience."
In order to encourage those around him to donate, Amata set himself a series of milestone challenges. The challenges included leg waxing, fancy dress, marathoning and tattoos, something which Amata says he had a lot of fun orchestrating with his co-workers.
When it came to the leg waxing, the fundraising snowballed with his peers, driven by the desire to reach the next milestone (and to inflict pain on a co-worker no doubt). “When the donation drive finished, the total stood at about $3,500, but I raised over $100 more on the day I did the waxing. People were so willing to give money just to rip some hair out of my legs!”
However, it’s not just Amata’s tireless fundraising efforts that have helped drive the No Kill movement. It wasn’t long before his Everyday Hero campaign got tongues wagging around the office, with friends and co-workers keen to learn about the advantages of adopting a rescue pet.
“My co-workers started asking me all about PetRescue, about the process of adopting a pet, and asking for advice. It was great to give them all the info and spread the word about rescue pets and adoption. I felt like I was really making a difference.”
Amata also threw together an event as the local bowls club, inviting his family and friends to come along and play some games whilst learning all about PetRescue, the No Kill movement and rescue pets in general.
Even though his campaign has now wrapped up, Amata says that he has bigger and bolder fundraising plans in the future. “I’m thinking of running another event, which will be bigger and even grander than before! After the success of the first one, I’m really looking into doing more. It was fun, and I really want to cover more of those milestones!”
PetRescue would like to extend a big thank you to Amata and everyone who donated to his fundraiser. You’ve truly made a difference by supporting PetRescue’s drive to find homes for thousands of rescue pets.
You too can get involved and set yourself a fundraising target - read all about how you can get involved with PetRescue on our fundraising page today.