Stepping Up with Scooby Doo Gooders

Billed as, ‘an exciting five day leadership programme that will help you Step Up', the first 2012 Rotary Step Up challenge was to create and execute a community event in Auckland to raise funds for a charity.  And this year, the charity selected was Mobility Dogs!  Each of four Step Up teams was accompanied for the day by a Mobility Dogs handler and dog.

  
   Mobility Dog handlers Jenny, Theresa and Lisa all set to Step Up

Puppy-raiser Graeme’s* account of his day out with Libby and team Scooby Doo Gooders

The day started with a very early arrival at the Waipuna  Hotel and Conference Centre.  I was introduced to the team and I must say they were some very excited people (laughter was the theme for the day ). The Scooby Doo Gooders were ready and raring to go first out the blocks.  We were bundled into cars and off to the Downtown Ferry building to catch the arrivals off the boats.   Libby was a real draw card as she fluttered her eyelashes and the public, they  just melted .

The Scooby Doo Gooders were organised.  We had two members set off to collect a Scooby Doo costume plus collect some flyers from the printers .  The rest of us were off to start working our way up Queen Street , stopping at various points.  We had a small incident on the way, a security guard stumbled on some stairs and fell down, so being a caring team we assisted with some first aid.   Libby guarded the money that had fallen out of his money bags - what a dog (so well trained).  We carried on up Queen Street to Lower Queen Street Police Station to hit up the staff there, then off to Aotea Square.

Scooby Doo had arrived!  This brought the crowds over in their droves.  Photo opportunities were happening and the money was just flowing into the buckets. What a great idea.  We did have some issues with Scooby Doo . . . he was not trained at all in the social aspects of being in the public eye. However, Libby was onto it and she sorted him out.  We were getting constant updates on the Givealittle website, and we were up to $500.00.   

We had a photo opportunity with some Mexican stand up buskers, brilliant.  As usual Libby was up for the photo.  By this point we decided to head to Central Police Station to hit up the well paid members of the men and women in blue.  What a laugh; a great bunch of people doing a great job.  The day was slowly catching up on us so we started heading back down Queen Street shaking the buckets, money just kept coming.  Off to Vector Arena for a 2pm showing of How to Train Your Dragon (I am sure Libby could teach those dragons a trick or two).  Libby kindly left a message on the footpath on the way out (one of those momentary lapses in concentration).   All cleaned up and off to Glen Innes Police Station for our last stop.

Back to Waipuna for a quick debrief.  All in all the team had done a brilliant job.  The whole day was well planned.  We had so many moments of fun and laughter.  In a heartbeat I would do it again, and Libby agrees, WOOF!

Congratulations! Team Scooby Doo Gooders were judged overall winners of this challenge, by a tail feather, from the Paw Raisers.  Thanks to Rotary and all four Step Up teams for stepping out for Mobility Dogs.

*We would like to thank Graeme for his support of the Trust over many years.  Most recently, his donation of two wheelchairs from Kiwi Rehab to assist Natalie and her team in training the dogs.

Graeme & Libby present a wheelchair from Kiwi Rehab to Mobility Dogs