“I’m now a life member, along with my grandad, dad and brother, so there’s a lot of history.”
Having earned himself around 30 New Zealand medals for surf lifesaving, Dion is now giving back to the sport and his club through coaching.
“It's epic seeing the next generation come through. I want kids knowing how to be safe in the water and if they can then go on to educate others, that’d be amazing.”
Dion donates monthly to the Wainui SLSC’s endowment fund with Sunrise and hopes more people will see the value of donating, whether it be through regular giving like he does, or through a bequest in their will.
“I know my donations are just a drop in the bucket, but it only takes a small crew giving a bit each week to grow our fund. With around 500 club members, imagine if 100 people gave $5 each week how quickly it would grow!”
“Traditional funding sources like Trusts won’t be around forever so as a club we need to look after ourselves. The more our Sunrise fund grows, the more likely we are to be sustainable in the future.”
Growing the endowment fund with Sunrise is what Dion believes will help secure their financial security. While government funding is available for most operating costs, it doesn’t cover any of the extras they need such as paddle boards, boogie boards or coaches.
If you would like to join Dion in supporting the Wainui SLSC fund there are lots of ways you can donate.
Subscribe today
Receive all our latest news and updates about how we're helping our community direct to your inbox.
