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Auckland-September 6, 2016
The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation needs local volunteers to help with its Pink Ribbon Appeal on Friday October 14 and Saturday October 15. “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.
All up, 9000 volunteers in the “pink army” will raise money at more than 1000 collection points, covering New Zealand top to bottom. Their efforts will fund research into new personalised treatments, 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 Evangelia 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 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. However, the NZBCF’s long-term vision is “Zero deaths from breast cancer”; getting there will mean pushing for new frontiers in early detection, treatment and patient support.
“We can’t just carry on as we are, when so many women are still dying,” said Mrs Henderson. “The future of successful cancer treatment lies in personalised treatment targeted to each individual patient, and we’re determined to help our health system get there. That means not only addressing gaps in the current system through our grants for medical equipment, training of doctors and so on, but also making sure that we get new treatments faster, and that we look at new paradigms for patient support. We’re also funding our best researchers to move into leading-edge studies, such as trials of new DNA tests to identify which personalised treatment is best for a patient.”
The annual Pink Ribbon Appeal funds a large chunk of the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation’s work, and is the most visible of its events in October, which is Breast Cancer Month.
About NZBCF
The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that depends on donations and fundraising for its work in breast cancer education and awareness, medical research and training grants, equipment, advocacy, and supporting women with breast cancer. The NZBCF’s programmes are evidence-based, overseen by its medical advisory committee. The pink ribbon symbol is a trademark of the NZBCF in New Zealand.
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