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Seriously in the pink for breast cancer

Posted on September 30, 2011

TEAM EFFORT: Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club staff sporting the pink tops they will wear for October as a show of support for national breast cancer month. They are pictured with the giant bra fashioned by Club staff to raise community and club patron awareness of the fund raising effort. PHOTO: Melanie Linklater

By GRANT MAYNARD

THEY take support for breast cancer awareness and research seriously out Dareton way, and the evidence of that will have motorists doing a double-take!

They take it so seriously that the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club is now ‘sporting’ a large pink bra, and nearly every time the tills ring during next month it will mean more money in the coffers for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the club is getting right behind the fund-raising effort for cancer awareness and research.

The large and striking pink bra is to increase community and member awareness of the campaign, the Club’s general manager, Craig Muir, explained this week.

“Our Club has a history of supporting and providing for many organisations and events over the years, and this year the board decided the club would become actively involved in generating awareness and raising critical funds for cancer research,” Mr Muir said.

The Board of Directors approved a donation of 20 cents from every food sale in the club’s bistro and coffee bar, plus a further 20 cents from every soft drink sale throughout the club for the month of October.

The board is expecting the initiative to raise about $5000.

The fund-raising effort has received the blessing of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The large pink bra was manufactured by Club staff, and this week erected on the exterior of the Club.

The concept of going pink for October will be supported by staff who will wear pink T-shirts while at work for the month.

Further to those efforts, an array of pink bra decorations will be hung throughout the club as a further reminder of the club’s commitment to the cause.

Mr Muir said that in addition to supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club would also provide an avenue to raise the awareness of, and funding for, the Sunraysia Cancer Support Group – Cancer Resources by donating all ticket sales from its regular Friday night ‘Sixty Mad Minutes’ raffle on Friday, October 28.

This, he said, is expected to raise about $2000.

Mr Muir said the club’s involvement in October Cancer Awareness month really began about 12 months ago when a he saw a variation of the initiative the club is instigating this week while on holidays outside Sunraysia.

He said that community clubs generally attracted strong support from their female members, and the Coomealla Club was no different.

“We have a very strong female membership,” he said.

“Breast cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers in Australian women, with 13,600 new cases expected to be diagnosed this year.

“The highest percentage of women at risk were aged 40-69 and this again aligned itself with our membership demographic.”

For its part, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, in a recent letter to the Club, said: “Thank you for your offer to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation by hosting a community fund raising initiative commencing on October 1, 2011. We confirm that this has now been approved as a registered NBCF Fund Raising Supporter activity.”

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