Media Release

05 August 2011

 MITRE 10 CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH THE NEUROLOGICAL FOUNDATION

Two decades of involvement and just over $1.2 million dollars of support have made Mitre 10’s partnership with the Neurological Foundation one of New Zealand’s most enduring and effective sponsorships.

 Acknowledging the 20th anniversary of Mitre 10’s corporate generosity, Neurological Foundation Executive Director Max Ritchie said “the charitable organisation had been privileged to have the support of Mitre 10 over the past two decades.” 

“Mitre 10 staff and customers will be proud to know that this sponsorship has been pivotal to raising awareness and much-needed research funding to provide for the future brain health of New Zealanders,” says Mr Ritchie.

Mitre 10 has assisted with the production of the Neurological Foundation’s National Appeal Week and helps bring the campaign to life each year as well as taking part themselves to raise awareness. 

“Supporting the Foundation, as one of our key sponsorship partners, is how we give back to our customers by supporting the ongoing health of our communities and by showing them we care about the issues that affect them,” says Mitre 10 Chief Executive Officer John Hartmann.

The primary focus of the Foundation is to support scientific and medical research and twice each year the Foundation makes grants to doctors and scientists working in the neurology field.The Neurological Foundation is the primary non-government sponsor of neurological research and its funding has facilitated many of New Zealand’s top neuroscientists’ pioneering breakthroughs.  

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For more information, please contact: Dave Elliot, General Marketing Manager, Mitre 10, Ph: 09 442 2792, Mob: 0275 116 684

Foundation Achievements of the Past 20 Years

• 1991 MITRE 10 commits to supporting the Neurological Foundation’s Annual Appeal campaign - and here begins a remarkable journey! In addition to funding the production of the envelopes and print material, staff at Mitre 10 rolled their sleeves up to help raise awareness during the first Mitre 10 sponsored campaign, and to this day they are an integral part of Appeal week. Without the continued support of Mitre 10, the Neurological Foundation could simply not sustain the production costs to take the campaign ‘live’ each year. 

• 1994: The Neurological Foundation Human Brain Bank was set up. Founded by the Neurological Foundation, the Bank was founded in collaboration with Professor Richard Faull who continues to direct the Bank today. The Human Brain Bank now houses one of the most extensive collections of human brain tissue in the southern hemisphere with tissue from nine different neurological diseases and tissue from over 70 normal brains. Research on this tissue provides vital clues about neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, epilepsy and schizophrenia.

• 2003: Professor Richard Faull and his team at the University of Auckland make the ground-breaking discovery that adult brains create new cells and can repair themselves.

• 2003: The Neurological Foundation’s research funding allocation reaches $1 million! A long way from the figure of $450,000 allocated in the 1990s and an outcome made achievable by the Foundation’s continued support from partners like Mitre 10 and the unwavering commitment from thousands of donors all around New Zealand.

• 2010 Mitre 10’s 19 years of support to 2010 reaches the magic $1 million of campaign funding!

• 2010: MITRE 10’s support of the Neurological Foundation Annual Appeal campaign helps to distribute a record one million envelopes into letterboxes and newspapers around New Zealand!

• 2010: The Neurological Foundation’s research funding allocation reaches $2 million!

• The Neurological Foundation is thrilled to celebrate its 20-year partnership with MITRE 10. A big thanks to the team at Mitre 10 and all staff throughout the country who share our vision