Paul Richter of Harvey Norman with the Dyson vacuum cleaners. Harvey Norman and Dyson are each donating $5 to Asthma research with every model sold.
KEEP the house free of dust and raise money for asthma sufferers.
With more than 2 million Australians affected, vacuum company Dyson Appliances and Harvey Norman Cranbourne are raising money for the Asthma Foundation of Australia.
The two companies will each donate $5 to the foundation for every HEPA model vacuum cleaner sold during September and October.
The money will help the Asthma Foundation undertake and promote asthma management programs aimed at supporting and educating children, parents and other community care givers.
David Ackery, general manager electrical at Harvey Norman, said the company was proud to contribute to the Asthma Foundation alongside their business partner Dyson.
“Over 180 franchisees across the country are again wholly supportive of this worthy cause, as many have children themselves,” Mr Ackery said.
“At Harvey Norman we have great expectations in 2006 of raising even greater dollars to assist community awareness and to promote education, often in our own communities.”
Dyson SEA managing director Ross Cameron said Dyson had supported the Asthma Foundations for five years and in that time had helped raise more than $1 million.
“Our current campaign ‘Dyson – supporting kids to breathe better’ is focused on an area of the community where asthma is prevalent,” Mr Cameron said.
Asthma is one of the most common reasons for childhood admission to hospital and the annual cost to the Australian community has been estimated at $720 million, which includes time taken off work by parents and careers.
Dyson is also focused on further research into allergens in the home, with a cutting-edge microbiology lab tasked to better understand these micro-organisms in order to more effectively remove them and their effects.
Toby Saville, Dyson’s microbiologist, said the average home could collect up to four kilograms of dust in a year.
He said this dust and dirt contained dust mites, their droppings, human skin cells, pet hair, bacterial cells, pollen spores and mould – many of which were recognised asthma and allergy triggers.
