South Campus steps up for charity
South Campus staff recently competed in the OKE Head2Head Walk – a 24-hour, 125km relay around Auckland’s Manukau Harbour – to help raise money for local schools.
The annual charity walk started at Awhitu Peninsula and wound up in the Waitakere Ranges.
‘Team AUT South Campus’ included Richard Hall, Peter McGlashan, Jody Jackson-Becerra, Ramesh Lal and Mani Poshdar.
Each of them walked 25kms and each leg of the relay presented its own unique set of challenges, from steep hill climbs and rugged terrain, to walking through the night.
The team is tasked with raising $1,500. And, they have until Friday 24 November to reach their target.
Click here to donate to Team AUT South Campus.
All proceeds will go to the OKE Charity’s ‘Growing a Future’ programme, which helps kids develop essential life and social skills by introducing productive gardens in schools.
The School of Sport and Recreation also entered a team headed by Dr Richard Wright.
Now in its fifth year, the OKE Head2Head Walk has raised more than $50,000 for such projects.
This includes gardens at schools in Otara, Papatoetoe, Manurewa and Weymouth.
The charity aims to have 5,000 kids growing their own fruit and vegetables by 2018.
AUT is an official partner of the OKE Head2Head Walk.
South Campus was the venue for the fourth leg of the event, with walkers setting off in the darkness just after midnight.
Students from South Campus are also working in collaboration with the charity.
Last year, Communication Design students prepared a rebranding proposal for the charity that included its website, logos and merchandise.
This year, students from Computer and Information Sciences developed a new website for the OKE Head2Head Walk.
AUT Venture’s Conical Studios is currently working on an Augmented Reality (AR) tool to enhance education around the gardens that the OKE Charity builds in schools.
“This is a great example of the programmes at South Campus serving the local community,” says Peter McGlashan, External Engagement Manager.
“The OKE charity does great work with schools and they’re engaging with young people who will hopefully study at South Campus and work on the same types of projects.