Source: zürioberland24 - LOCAL - ONLINE - FREE, published on 27.10.2024, written by Nathalie Meyer
(Image: Florentin Züst)
Last Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Rainer Züst and the Aathal-Seegräben trade association presented a donation cheque to the Swiss Children's Hospice Foundation. The sum of 70,000 Swiss francs came from a charity run from Seegräben to England and a crowdfunding campaign.
Last Wednesday evening, the successful fundraising campaign for the Flamingo Children's Hospice was met with both satisfaction and hope. Jürg Herren, President of the Swiss Children's Hospice Foundation, and Nicola Presti, Head of Marketing & PR, expressed their thanks at the first official cheque handover in Seegräben.
A project close to his heart
The initiator of the campaign, Rainer Züst, has set himself the goal of supporting families with children suffering from life-limiting illnesses. He was once personally confronted with such a diagnosis. And even though his youngest survived, this issue remained a heartfelt wish.
That's why he set off on a charity run at the end of March 2024 with his partner, his therapy dog "Leo" and his Jack Russell dog "Netti" - from Seegräben to Perranporth in England (we reported).
Intimate insights
Züst gave an intimate insight into his life and how this idea came about with a detailed and affectionate presentation.
The retiree impressed with his oratory skills as well as with the crazy stories he had experienced on the hike. The team of four walked a total of 1600 km over 69 days. If you wanted to get just a hint of this achievement, you could push the 40 kg buggy around yourself that evening.
Mourning for Leo
Sometimes joy and sadness go hand in hand. The audience was deeply saddened when Züst told them that he had to say goodbye to his dog a few days ago due to cancer. "In the last five years, Leo and I have covered a distance of around 27,500 kilometers on foot. In the spirit of "walking for short lives", I thanked him on our last walk that he was able to bring joy to so many people," he summarized.
Successful crowdfunding thanks to the trade association
Without the Aathal-Seegräben trade association, the ambitious donation target of CHF 100,000 would hardly have been possible. As the driving force, board member Daniela Frangi pulled out all the stops to make the crowdfunding campaign via the Raiffeisenbank "Lokalhelden" platform a success.
Even though the target of CHF 70,000 has not yet been reached, Züst is very confident that the amount will be raised by the end of 2025: "We still have to raise the desired amount for the urgently needed bed lift."
Züst plans to organize a star march and knock on the doors of various Rotary clubs in the Zurich Oberland. He will also have a stand at the Seegräbner Christmas market.
But that's not all. Nicole Presti pointed out during a discussion at the subsequent drinks reception that the foundation will continue to be dependent on donations in the future due to the lack of hospice tariffs. "We anticipate that we will need to generate around five million in donations each year to operate."
Flamingo Children's Hospice
The Swiss Children's Hospice Foundation is building its first location in Fällanden. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on December 5, 2023. The foundation stone was laid this summer and the shell of the building will be ready in December 2024.
Once the interior fittings have been completed, the first families will be able to move in towards the end of 2025. The hospice will have eight care rooms and eight family rooms as well as various therapy rooms.
Children and young people with life-limiting illnesses, their closest caregivers and siblings will be able to recover together and recharge their batteries while receiving professional care.