More than 30 UOC staff and students gathered for a fundraising breakfast on campus to support the Sweet Louise breast cancer charity.
Pink was the order of the day – along with eggs on toast and muesli – when UOC staff and students gathered this week to fundraise for a wonderful cause – supporting women in Aotearoa New Zealand with advanced and incurable breast cancer.
The “Breastfast”, organised by the campus’s highly active Events Committee, was timed for Sweet October, an initiative from the Sweet Louise charity, an organisation dedicated to providing practical, emotional, and social support for those living with the disease.
Around 30 kaimahi and tauira gathered at the campus’s Central Park Café, for kai, to make a donation and take part in a variety of pink-themed games and raffles.
Events Committee Co-Chair Amanda Clifford says it was a wonderful occasion.
“People shared their stories of their journey and people made new connections and some people decided they were going to start a breakfast club.”
Breakfast attendees entered a variety of raffles and competitions at the fundraising event.
Sweet Louise provides practical aroha to about 800 women and men in New Zealand who have received a diagnosis of advanced breast cancer - including access to experienced oncology and palliative support coordinators, emergency vouchers, meetings, social gatherings, vouchers for complimentary therapies and family trips and treats.
The UOC event has so far raised $500 for Sweet Louise, some from external donors. The best pink-themed outfit winner was Brenda Rogers from the Department of Nursing, new Mum Fran Cox the best colouring-in comp, with Krista Dawson coming mightily close (389) to guessing the exact number of pink lollies in the lolly jar (there were 380 to be exact). The raffle is still open to enter at the AskOtago UOC reception desk – it will be drawn on Friday 8 November.