$5000 raised from Central Otago artist Odelle Morshuis

$4200 raised from Waikaia School - The children sold sherbert, cheese rolls, wheat bags, beeswax wraps, lucky dips, cupcakes, lolly cake and truffles, guess the lollies, bath salts and toffee to the local community. 

$2000 raised from Vintage Car Club Wanaka

$500 raised from chocolate sales The Chocolate Workshop in Wanaka's founder Tanja Schwindt

After a Covid-19 two-year hiatus, the annual Otago Polytechnic Cancer Society Spring Ball was back, bringing a night of "glitz and glamour" to the Dunedin Town Hall on Friday, 2 September.

Thank you to all those that attended and supported the ball. We are excited to announce that the community has raised over $96,000 to help support people in our community with cancer.

📸 You can view and order event photos from Seen in Dunedin

We would especially like to thank our Volunteer Ball Committee, Sarah Simmers, John Gallaher, Mike Waddell, Megan Bartlett, Philip Cullen, Richard Egan and Duncan Croudis, who put in many hours to ensure the night was a success. A big shout out to our wonderful volunteers who helped on the night; we appreciate your support.

We want to thank all our sponsors and supporters who have stuck with us to make this great event happen:

Otago Polytechnic, Anderson Lloyd, Bayleys Metro - Craig & Jill Palmer,  Silver Fern Farms, Marsh Family Charitable Trust, Cooke Howlison BMW, Deloitte, Bendigo Valley Sports & Charity Foundation & University of Otago.

Join us next spring

If you would like to secure your tickets for the 2023 Cancer Society Spring Ball, which will be held on Friday, 1 September 2023, please email info@cansoc.co.nz

Walk, run, bike, swim, skip, or row... complete 42 km in the month of November and you'll help cancer patients in your community.

It only takes 1.4km each day to achieve. Too easy? Challenge yourself to take on multiple marathons!

Join today as an individual or team - sign up your whānau, workmates, or commit to making difference on your own.

What started as a small group of Queenstown friends and clients raising money and hanging banners for the Cancer Society has now become a nationwide effort to raise funds around New Zealand for those affected by cancer.  The Cook Brothers team have faced the battle of fighting and losing loved ones to cancer which motivates them to raise funds.

Now in its incredible fifth year, this valuable initiative to raise funds for cancer was the brainchild of Annie Hagney, Cook Brothers Marketing Manager.

We are very thankful for Annie's vision, the business supporters, and her team for organising the Daffodil Gardens yearly and raising over $40,000 this year. 

This year's 3rd annual fundraiser sets a record for Lochie's challenges, raising and impressive $23,300, with a few more dollars still coming in. That bring Lochie's amazing fundraising total to $50,000 for the Cancer Society!

And now, with a lot of help from so many good people, $23,300 after a massive day at Coronet Peak. Stay tuned for next year's 12hr and start getting your team together.

The Cancer Society is so grateful to the Aotearoa Gaming Trust, Dunedin City Council, Fresh Choice, Nellie Milnes Charitable Trust, Kiwi Gaming, Invercargill City Council, The Guy Anson Waddel Charitable Trust, and Central Lakes Trust for their funding in recent months. These funds allow us to be there when we're needed most.

A massive thanks to all our volunteers for help provided during Daffodil Day. We have been incredibly well supported by volunteers in all corners of the Otago and Southland Division and in particular it was due to all the planning and hard work of our Area Coordinators that reignited all the support we saw on the day in each community.  As always it is such a day of collaboration and generosity. The sharing of the many and personal experiences of so many people across our division  each daffodil Day provides such compelling purpose to everything that we do. It is such an honour to be involved with our most significant Fundraiser.

This quarter of the year brings the volunteering team time to focus on recruiting volunteers and confirming engagements for existing volunteers. If you are keen to help Cancer Society by Volunteering, please contact us for more information.

charlotte.molloy@cansoc.org.nz or 021 221 4237

caroline.carter@cansoc.org.nz or 021 279 7797 - Southland

 karen.wink@cansoc.org.nz or 021 968 265 – Dunedin, Coastal and West Otago

mary.davidson-smith@cansoc.org.nz or 021 492 026 – Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes

anna.anderson@cansoc.org.nz

We are  very grateful to the fab team of volunteers who supported Emma, Karen and the Ball committee in running the wonderful Spring Ball in Dunedin. They enjoyed the glamour and fun too.

Welcome to Mary in Central Otago

Mary's impressive professional background and enjoyment of the Central Otago District will be a great asset to the volunteering and wider team. She had already volunteered to help in Cromwell on Daffodil Day before joining the Cancer Society as a staff member!

Mary says she is grateful for the opportunity of joining the Cancer Society team, engaging with the local community, and of course enjoying the delight that living in Central Otago brings after years of family holidays in the region.

Mary is based in Cromwell and will be working partially from the Alexandra office.

The team continues to work hard not only in providing amazing support to whānau affected by cancer, but by continuing to network and promote the services that we offer.

Over the last couple of months we have been actively involved in conducting many educational sessions with both GP groups, Medical and University Health studies students.

Investing in talking to these groups, we hope to improve the referral pathways for patients who may benefit from connecting with our services.

We are also working actively in the advocacy space, not only working to support patients one on one, but by being a voice in pushing for a change to the National Travel and Assistance Scheme.

This scheme was brought in in 2006 to provide assistance to those travelling to treatment. Whilst it was designed to subsidise both travel and accommodation it has not kept up with the costs of living or the changing landscape of cancer treatment.

Article: Solo mum ate one meal a day to afford petrol for son's cancer treatments

It also does not support an equitable approach to health care and is not assisting to reduce the impact of cancer for our most vulnerable groups to include Rural, Māori and Pacific Peoples.

Thank you to all those who made a submission to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill, we are now at the stage of making oral submissions for those who opted to do so. This is an important stage to speak directly to the Health Select Committee and put a human face and voice to why this legislation is so important.

Our Health Promotion team is scheduled to present to the Committee on behalf of our local coalitions in the coming weeks, and the Cancer Society presented late last month You can watch the Cancer Society submission here (from approx 6.45m onwards).

Ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa – Thank you to everyone who added their voice to this important cause.