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Kiwibank doubles its donation to Mike King's mental health fund to $100,000

February 22, 2019

No longer ‘the bridesmaid’, mental health advocate Mr King joked with media about being in the semi-finals five times.

Kiwibank announced today it will double its donation to New Zealander of the Year Mike King’s youth mental health charity to $100,000, following a social media campaign that went viral this week.

The company says more than 185,000 Facebook users have uploaded the I AM HOPE frame as their profile picture after they partnered with Mr King to raise awareness of depression.

The bank had pledged to donate a dollar, up to $50,000, for every Facebook user who uploaded the frame. 

"It's a clear message that this is something New Zealanders care deeply about," Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich said of the decision to double the donation. 

"The message is getting through, and we’ve started a conversation in New Zealand to raise awareness. Ultimately, success is funding the work required to make a real difference, especially for our children.

Gumboot Up NZ raises funds to help provide access to free and timely counselling services for Kiwi kids who need it.

"This is as much about building the conversation and empowering people as it is about fundraising," Mr King said. "Kiwis have stepped up and shown they really care.

"The Give-a-Little donations are coming in so fast I don’t have time to count them, we have had nearly 1000 donations in the past 24 hours from $1 to $100. So, thank you New Zealand - you are truly amazing."


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