PORT Macquarie’s Isaac Sanderson is the type of teenager who wants to help wherever he can.
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And in this year’s City2Surf he’ll take on Heartbreak Hill in a Westpac Rescue Helicopter costume.
Sanderson was appointed by the helicopter service as their Youth Team Ambassador for the 2016 event after they were impressed with his efforts last year.
He has brought together some other young surf lifesaving mates to help build their young chopper squad and they hope to gather a force of around 100 runners.
Sanderson has set a goal of fundraising $50,000 which will be put back into the running of the helicopter service.
Westpac Rescue Helicopter corporate fundraising and partnerships manager Joanne Baxter said they were privileged to have him as part of their team.
“He’s actively campaigning to get young people on board and he’s shown a great deal of initiative,” she said.
“For us to have someone like Isaac help us in any way is great and we’d love to have as many people as possible join him in the City2Surf.”
All funds raised before and during the event will be returned back to the service.
“We have never charged anyone to be rescued and that’s why these funds that Isaac hopes to raise will benefit us and are so important,” she said.
The team will participate in the event with specially designed t-shirts that have the helicopter winch emblazoned across the chest.
There will be a blank space on the t-shirt where the runners numbers will feature so it will appear as though the numbers are being winched to safety.
“The red and yellow colours are well known so it’s a great experience for him,” Baxter said.
The Westpac Life Saver Helicopter Southern Region Service is the oldest and longest serving community rescue helicopter in Australia.
They have flown 23,000 life saving missions in this time, servicing a region in excess of six million people.
They are on standby seven days a week, 365 days a year.
If anyone is interested in participating in the City2Surf to support the life saving work of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, or would like to make a donation, visit www.lifesaver.org.au.