The Tour de Cure Snow Ball returned last month for its Ball-y-Wood spectacular gala fundraising event. More than 1,100 guests pledged an incredible $86,000 towards Canteen’s face to face counselling and peer support programs. These generous donations will help alleviate the feelings of isolation, depression and anxiety that 12–25-year-olds experience when there is a cancer diagnosis in their family – be it their own, their parent’s or sibling’s. Celebrities, Sydney's philanthropic community and corporate organisations filled the room and were entertained by Channel 7 talent and Samantha Jade.
Alicia Hastie, a cancer survivor, and Canteen Youth Ambassador, took centre stage and shared her personal journey, revealing the challenges of isolation and anxiety she faced during her cancer treatment and beyond. She passionately advocated for Canteen’s face to face counselling and peer support services, emphasising its pivotal role in providing her with the essential emotional support and connection she required during her cancer journey.
Sally Andrews, Head of Clinical Practice & Reconciliation at Canteen, emphasised the importance of these services and rallied the guests, encouraging them to stand alongside her as supporters of Canteen's life-changing initiatives.
Due to the generosity of the guests who pledged, Canteen is closer to reaching up to 1,798 of the 23,000 young people who are impacted by cancer each year, providing them with free face-to-face counselling and peer support services to alleviate the burden of isolation, anxiety, and depression.
The success of the event was made possible due to the unwavering commitment of Bruno Maurel, Dominique Robinson and Cassandra Prothero. A heartfelt thanks goes to the entire Tour de Cure team, their volunteers, and Snow Ball guests who played an instrumental role in contributing to such an incredible outcome for Canteen. Thanks also to Canteen's valued partners, including Hilti, MONEYME, Neith Capital, Jo Phillips and David Weston for their contributions during the event and ongoing support.
If you would like to help ensure that Canteen’s FREE counselling and peer support services reach more young people who are impacted by cancer, you can donate here.
