Page 5110 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 26 October 2011
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28 October. As all of us know, CanTeen is the Australian organisation for young people living with cancer, and bandanna day is part of their annual fundraising events.
CanTeen works with young people who have been diagnosed with cancer. They also include young people who have an immediate family member—a brother, sister, parent or primary carer—who has been diagnosed with cancer and young people who have had an immediate family member die from cancer.
The work of CanTeen is varied, because their aim is to support, develop and empower young people living with cancer. Each year 1,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the 12 to 25 year age group. This equates to three young people per day facing the trauma associated with diagnosis, subsequent treatment and impacts on their social-emotional health.
“It is terrific to have people who understand,” and this is a quote that rings true for me. Like so many other issues, it is not until you live the experience that you truly understand how it really feels. It is brilliant that CanTeen offers these young people the time, space and opportunities to come together to share, develop a better understanding of and knowledge and information about the disease.
There is an opportunity at camps and groups to make friends, share hot tips and, most importantly, to laugh with people who understand and therefore develop a personal sense of power over their future. Although CanTeen holds national bandanna day every year, there are a range of other ways to help, such as running an event to raise money, donating your old mobile phone for recycling, collecting around the workplace to make a donation and celebration donations—requesting that your guests make a donation to CanTeen in lieu of receiving gifts at your wedding, birthday, anniversary, or, in fact, any celebration.
From medical to event volunteers, help is always needed and enthusiastically accepted. You can assist on camps and programs or volunteer in the local CanTeen office. CanTeen hold regular information evenings, or a member of CanTeen can visit your office to let you know about CanTeen’s corporate volunteer program.
I commend the work done by CanTeen. I believe it is really important that young people and those around them know that they are not alone and that the Canberra community supports their efforts in the support they give to so many.
I encourage you all to buy a bandanna and to wear it proudly this coming Friday, 28 October to show you care. For many years as part of Youth Week there was a coinciding with bandanna day at one point, so we used to sell them. Over the years we took on selling bandannas, and it was a great way to be able to support this fantastic organisation.
Mr Doszpot interjecting—
MS HUNTER: I am not sure what Mr Doszpot is talking about. It was fantastic to be able to sell those bandannas and to pass that money on. I know that Team Green got together this morning. All members of the Assembly would have received your
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