When you’re a foundation that has operated under the radar for many years and you wish to spread the word beyond the medical community, you need to find a way to show people who you are and what you do. That is exactly what Heart-to-Heart@12 does: these 15-minute presentations are given at a Hawke’s Bay business, allowing 5 minutes for questions. No fundraising, no strings attached – merely a chance for employees and their management to learn about the wonderful work that is funded by the Health Research Foundation – Hawke’s Bay. Did we mention a Heart-to-Heart@12 session is entirely free?
‘It is not easy to spread the word about our foundation’, says Laura Martin, ‘Many people do not have a particular association with research, and think of analysing data in an office or at a laboratory. That can form part of the work a researcher does, but these studies should be regarded as change projects. Every one of them is born from an expert detecting a gap in our local health system, whether dealing with medical, prevention, mental health, sports and fitness, nutrition or community health. A gap means that the current health tools in place are failing people and significant improvement is not only possible, but urgently needed. The expert formulates a study theory and builds a health project around this theory.’
Having decided to spread the word on its foundation to the wider Hawke’s Bay community, Heart-to-Heart@12 is the new strategic pillar for them to achieve this. ‘Many Hawke’s Bay business owners are very much involved with the community. We wish to give them a chance to learn more about us and the work we fund. It is an interesting presentation for the entire staff and given around lunchtime to minimise pressure on existing operations. If we can have as many people as possible learn about our foundation, we will grow our profile and in due course, the support we are given in the form of sponsorships and donations. This in turn will enable us to fund bigger health projects with greater impact for the Hawke’s Bay community.’
Book your Heart-to-Heart@12 here
