Charlotte Varcoe
AFTER experiencing the generosity of the Mount Gambier Breast Cancer Awareness Group first hand, Infrabuild Steel Centre customer service officer Corrine Bryan ensured the business’s $5000 donation would be allocated to the group.
The funds makes Infrabuild the awareness group’s major sponsor for its 10th annual Pink Party fundraiser scheduled for October.
The annual event helps raise funds which is spent on vouchers from across Mount Gambier for those needing to travel for breast cancer treatment.
Since 2012, the awareness group has put together about 373 helping handbags to patients which help ease the cost of fuel, food and more.
Ms Bryan said when she travelled to Adelaide for her own surgery, the helping handbags took financial pressure off her, her partner and her sister.
“I was blown away with the donation these ladies gave each and every one of us patients,” Ms Bryan said.
“The helping handbags has about $1000 worth of vouchers in there from food vouchers, petrol vouchers and pharmacy and that was what blew me away more than anything else.”
She said it was the kindness of people she did not even know which brought her to tears upon receiving the helping handbag.
“I had to have my operation in Adelaide and I had my partner and my sister come with me,” Ms Bryan said.
“It was easier on them to have the petrol and meal vouchers because it took that worry away from me.”
She said she “could not even imagine” what it would be like for those less fortunate with petrol costs continuing to rise.
“The petrol costs between Mount Gambier and Adelaide is a lot and if someone cuts that out it is amazing,” she said.
“The awareness group needs donations to keep it all going because all ladies in the South East benefit and it is a not-for-profit organisation.”
Breast Cancer Awareness Group member Jill Gilmore said the organisation was overwhelmed with the generous donation and decided it would be a fantastic opportunity to have Infrabuild as the Pink Party’s main sponsor.
“It is all going to the same cause and helping our function raise even more money because our Pink Party raises the money to buy the helping handbags, so while the donation is indirect it is all going towards the same thing,” Ms Gilmore said.
Ms Gilmore said she was thrilled to know the helping handbags provided assistance to those in need, mentioning another donation of $1000 being provided recently by a woman who had previously utilised the vouchers.
“She was a recipient previously and a few years down the track she said she was now in a position to help us like we helped her so it is good to know we do make a difference,” she said.
“We usually give out around 40-50 helping handbags per year but when the Breast Cancer Van is in town we know it usually doubles so we are prepared for it to be higher then.”
Ms Gilmore said planning was well underway for this year’s annual Pink Party with a venue and date soon to be announced.
