Keen netballer and Howick resident, Jessie Richmond, today celebrated her thirteenth birthday by breakfasting in style at the Hotel Grand Chancellor Auckland with one of her favourite netballers - Bernice Mene.

Jessie’s mother secretly bid in an online auction held in support of the Foundation for Youth Development, of which Bernice Mene is an ambassador, and after making the top bid she was able to surprise Jessie with the prize.

As part of prize, Jessie and a friend spent over an hour talking netball tactics and receiving game tips from the former Silver Fern.

Jessie who has been playing netball for more than five years and currently plays for netball club, X Factor, said she was ‘thrilled’ to meet the former netballer.

“It’s was so cool to meet Bernice. I’ve seen her on court before so it was really amazing to actually be sitting down and having breakfast with her.”

Bernice said she decided to get behind the charity’s recent fundraiser – the Non-Event of the Year – by giving fans the chance to win breakfast with her, as a way of helping support New Zealand youth.

“I’m a long-standing supporter of the Foundation for Youth Development. The charity currently helps approximately 17,000 young people across the country from the start of primary school right through to the end of high school via its Kiwi Can, Stars and Project K programmes.

“It was great to get involved in the Non-Event of the Year and lovely to meet Jessie and her friend over breakfast courtesy of the Hotel Grand Chancellor,” Bernice said.

Other auction items included breakfast with Frank Bunce, April Ieremia, Dion Nash and a jam session with Nesian Mystik

Funds raised during the six week Non-Event campaign, which ran from 16 March – 23 April will be used by the Foundation for Youth Development to further its programmes.