New partnership fantastic news for patients

Media release – for immediate release
 

New partnership fantastic news for patients

Farmers announces sponsorship of Leukaemia & Blood Foundation

Tuesday 27 May 2008 - The Leukaemia & Blood Foundation (LBF) and Farmers, New Zealand’s fashion department store, are delighted to announce a new partnership that will significantly enhance the services the LBF offers.

With a vision to cure, mission to care, the LBF supports patients and families living with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood conditions.

These diseases can strike anyone, at any time, and treatment may go on for months and even years. Six children and adults are diagnosed with blood cancers in this country every day and there are 10,000 New Zealanders currently living with one of these diseases.

Farmers Managing Director, Rod McDermott, said: “Farmers is very pleased to join in a new partnership with The Leukaemia & Blood Foundation. When we began to understand the goals and objectives of the LBF and the vast number of people and families all across New Zealand that are dealing and managing with leukaemia and other blood conditions, it became clear Farmers could assist the LBF. 

“As a national retailer we have the ability to assist raising both awareness and funds.  Farmers hopes this new partnership will aid LBF to further grow its services and support in our communities around all of New Zealand.”

Farmers’ sponsorship will be launched over the Queen's Birthday Weekend when customers will be asked to add a gold coin donation to their purchase - which will be very generously matched by Farmers, dollar for dollar.

Pru Etcheverry, Executive Director of the Leukaemia & Blood Foundation, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Farmers as an official sponsor of the LBF. We receive no Government funding so support like this is absolutely essential to the work that we do.

“We currently have a four-strong Support Services team who liaise directly with patients nationally, but we are always struggling to meet demand. Providing their services alone costs us $1,000 a day. Thanks to Farmers' incredible generosity we can work towards increasing that provision and making sure we give our patients the service they deserve.”

She added: “We are also grateful to Farmers because with their amazing national presence we can raise awareness of our organisation in the communities we are trying to help, and that's priceless.”

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