The Glenora Bears' fundraising day last Saturday provided a boost in profile for the ‘I AM HOPE’ charity and contributed $9,300 to the cause at the same time.

‘I AM HOPE’ is a youth and community-focussed support group facilitated by The Key to Life Charitable Trust, which aims to spread awareness of mental health issues. On Saturday the Bears hosted the SAS Fox Memorial Premiership clash between Glenora and Northcote, before holding a black tie dinner which included the auctioning off of 18 playing jerseys. Glenora Bears chairman Mike Fletcher said he was pleased with the club’s effort to put on a successful day.

“It was huge for us, it takes a lot of organising to run an event like this and to see it come together and raise the amount of funds we did was a fantastic result for the cause,” Fletcher said.

“We had Mike King (I AM HOPE founder) attend the game, he did a karakia (prayer) for the boys behind closed doors and presented them all with their jerseys which was special. “It meant a lot to the players to have Mike there and he stayed for the entire match.” Fletcher said it was great to see other clubs support the event.

“New Lynn and Waitemata formally attended the dinner and so did members from other clubs. I really appreciated the support we received from them,” he said.

“I hope to see more clubs host charity matches, it’s a great way to not only give back to our communities but put our game at forefront of positive thinking on important issues."