While most teenagers celebrate their birthday with cake, presents and a party, one brave 15-year-old has taken on a gravity-defying challenge.
Cohen Freeland has completed 15 bungy jumps off the Auckland Harbour Bridge in one day to raise funds for a charity close to his heart.
On January 28, he completed 15 jumps in less than an hour to raise $15,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities NZ, which provides support for Kiwi families with a hospitalised child.
RMHC NZ takes care of accommodation and practical matters for families while their children receive life-saving treatment or surgery.
In 2023, Kiwi 4452 families saved nearly $10 million in accommodation, food, and parking costs through RMHC’s services.
Cohen is extremely passionate about RMHC NZ because he resonates with the charity’s purpose.
“RMHC’s goal of uniting families at the hardest times is incredibly important to me. It fuels the passion I put into these fundraisers,” he says.
“I want to show that small acts can have big consequences, and there is so much we can do to make a difference.”
Cohen’s commitment to giving back started young. At the age of five, he decided to grow out his hair to donate it while raising funds for RMHC in Australia.
Over the years, he’s donated his hair twice – first in 2018 and again in 2023 – raising $35,000 in the process.
If he manages to raise $15,000 through his bungy jumps, he will have raised more than $50,000 in total.
RMHC NZ chief executive Wayne Howett says the charity is incredibly humbled by the work Cohen has done to fundraise for RMHC NZ and the lengths he’s willing to go to make a difference.
“Cohen’s passion and commitment to helping others is truly remarkable.
“It’s really inspiring to see someone his age get involved in an initiative like this, and his fundraising efforts have made a tangible difference to the thousands of families that rely on our services.
“Cohen’s bungy fundraiser also comes at a critical time for RMHC NZ as we’ve seen a significant increase in demand for our services over the past few years.
“Now more than ever we need kind Kiwis to support us to do what we do.”
Howett says that it’s due to people like Cohen that RMHC NZ has never had to turn away a family in need.
The initiative was also made possible by the team at AJ Hackett Bungy NZ (AJHBNZ), which runs the bungy jumps off the Auckland Harbour Bridge, alongside other locations across New Zealand.
“Cohen came to us with this awesome idea to support RMHC NZ, and we jumped at the chance to help him make it happen,” AJHBNZ co-founder and managing director Henry van Asch says.
“AJ Hackett Bungy NZ has a long history of supporting the communities we work in, and we’re stoked to help him bring this initiative to life.”
People who want to support Cohen’s ‘15 for 15’ challenge and make a donation should go online to: https://diy-community-fundraising.raisely.com/cohen-freeland.
