“Give two hours” – Breast cancer appeal needs volunteers

“Give two hours” – Breast cancer appeal needs volunteers

The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation is enlisting volunteers to help with its Pink Ribbon Street Appeal on Friday October 9 and Saturday October 10. “Give two hours” is the plea – volunteers might choose to sign up for just their own two-hour stint on the street, or to rope in friends, workmates or a community group to cover several hours.

NZBCF ambassadors Jacqueline Nairn (who plays Nurse Wendy Cooper on Shortland Street) and broadcaster Jude Dobson are fronting the call for volunteers to join the 9000-strong “pink army” of collectors raising money at more than 1000 collection points, covering New Zealand top to bottom. Volunteers’ efforts will fund research into new targeted treatments and clinical trials, support for women going through breast cancer, medical equipment for our hospitals, and life-saving awareness and education programmes around the importance of mammograms for early detection.

“The Pink Ribbon Appeal funds a large chunk of our work, so there’s a direct link between the time people give on the street and our ability to fund research, treatments and education programmes,” says Van Henderson, chief executive of the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. “If you can help, please get in touch with us now.”

To volunteer for the Pink Ribbon Street Appeal, visit www.pinkribbonvolunteer.co.nz or phone 0508 105 105.

The number of women being diagnosed with breast cancer is still going up – it’s now more than 3000 a year – but survival is improving, thanks to earlier detection and improved treatments. The NZBCF’s mission is to prevent New Zealand women developing and dying of breast cancer, and to support those living with the disease. In recent years, that has meant educating women about all the signs of breast cancer, funding the ongoing development of new drugs for hard-to-treat cancers, and improving understanding of the causes of cancer spread. The NZBCF is committed to addressing gaps in our healthcare system through grants for medical equipment, training of doctors and other medical professionals, and improving access to clinical trials.

The annual Pink Ribbon Street Appeal is the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation’s single biggest fundraiser, and is the most visible of its events in October, which is Breast Cancer Month.

ENDS

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