Media release from CASPER

Today CASPER announced the establishment of a very important relationship with Mike Pero and his mortgage and real estate companies.

Any charity would be thrilled to announce a sponsorship deal worth $1million in cash, marketing, PR, fundraising and other business services. Any charity established a little over a year ago would of course be proud of its association with a brand which is as respected, known and trusted as the Mike Pero brand. I want to tell you though, why this relationship is so special and such a great fit for CASPER.

CASPER, as you all know, is about locating suicide prevention within families and communities. It is about cohesion and connectedness between diverse groups who rally to the common goal of ensuring that everyone feels valued, has the opportunity to participate and has a sense of hope for the future.

The opportunity to model the bringing together of the non-profit and business sectors to realise benefit to both under the goal of suicide prevention is something we have worked towards for the past year and about which we are very excited. We know that Mike and his franchise owners are excited about it too. The goal of all good businesses is to generate profit and to bring benefit to the communities in which they operate. The goal of charities is to deliver services and enhance the lives of those who live in the communities they serve. Partnerships between business and charity which deliver on all these goals provide wins both for the organisations involved and for their community and country.

The benefits of suicide prevention to CASPER are obvious. We are a group of families who have suffered the tragedy of suicide and who seek to provide a legacy for their lost loved ones by preventing further suicide deaths. Our involvement in suicide prevention work gives us a reason to live and a purpose in life - things that are hard to find in the aftermath of the self inflicted death of a child, spouse, parent or friend. The benefits to business may be less obvious but are very real. They include increased productivity through reducing the estimated $1.6 billion dollar economic cost of suicide against the New Zealand economy and increasing competitive advantage by supporting causes that affect, and are of concern to, large numbers of consumers.

CASPER is fortunate that Mike Pero, on learning of New Zealand's appalling suicide statistics and of CASPER's work was immediately able to see that his sponsorship could reduce suicide deaths and generate the benefits necesary for the development of a long term, sustainable partnership.
 
In the many hours we have spent with Mike negotiating this deal, we have been left in no doubt about his sincere desire to reduce suicide in New Zealand. The economic benefits of this relationship could have been achieved by partnering with a charity that address far less confronting and controversial issues than suicide. The more Mike learned about suicide and its impact on those left behind the more determined he became to use his skill and experience and the credibility of his brand to advance the cause of suicide prevention. In addition, as a Pacific Island man, he wanted to address the terrible toll suicide exacts on Pacific and Maori youth in New Zealand and is a great role model for these young people. Having met his franchise owners, we know their commitment mirrors that of Mike.

Real estate and mortgage broking services are about providing families with the security of a home - somewhere to belong and to feel safe. The Mike Pero model is innovative and represents an alternative to the current model of business services in these industries. CASPER is about safety and belonging and about providing a new model of suicide prevention. The core values of both organisations are strongly aligned.

We are proud and excited to announce the development of this relationship and will be providing you with more detail on what you will see in your community as a result in the next few weeks.