New Zealand athletics guru Allison Roe is supporting the Upper Clutha Lions Club's fund-raising efforts for a fetal heart monitor for the Wanaka area at a cocktail function at Edgewater Resort on October 30.
The club has contracted public relations specialist Jude Smith, of Eventful, to organise the event.
Mrs Smith said the district's midwives had identified a fetal heart rate monitor as a necessary item because Dunedin Hospital was more than three hours drive from Wanaka.
Wanaka midwives cover a wide area including Haast, Makarora, Lake Hawea, Tarras and Cardrona and can travel for between 30 minutes and two and a-half hours to attend a mother and her baby.
The nearest fetal heart monitor is in Alexandra, one hour's drive from Wanaka.
"This situation can be an extremely stressful and worrying time for the mother, child and the supporting person, especially in winter when the harsh conditions make roads marginal," Mrs Smith said.
Upper Clutha Lions president Barb Eaton said the fund-raising mission was a big commitment and the club was looking forward to full support from the community.
Roe is a keen advocate for healthy lifestyles and wellbeing.
She won both the New York and Boston marathons in 1981, the latter in world record time.
The versatile athlete has also won in triathlon and cycling.
She has worked as a television sports presenter and producer and is the mother of two children.
Roe is now involved in the Special K Women's Triathlon series, raises funds for breast cancer, and is involved in a women's health trust.
She is also on the board of the Health Sponsorship Council and North Shore Hospital Foundation.
