Remodelled Pink Ribbon campaign 2020
(Above) At last year’s Pink Ribbon fundraiser on the Market Square, students from Loreto College were pictured with Donal Kelly and his dog Holly.
Like so many events that have been cancelled or curtailed as a result of Covid 19 restrictions, the annual Irish Cancer Society’s Pink fundraising and awareness campaign normally planned for October has had to be remodelled for 2020.
October is the month where particular attention is given to breast cancer, and to highlight the crucial work undertaken by the Irish Cancer Society to support patients and their families when a cancer diagnosis is received. With over 3,000 women in Ireland having a breast cancer diagnosis each year, the funding is needed as much as ever, with or without Covid.
Marie O’Toole, fund raising coordinator for the Mullingar area, says that the overall donations to the Irish Cancer Society are down this year, due to the cancellation of Daffodil Day, the society’s main fundraiser.
“ We had started our planning in January, and were all set to go with Daffodil Day at the end of March, but then Covid restrictions kicked in in the middle of March and that saw the end of the all of our preparations. At the time, we never expected that Pink Ribbon would also be impacted, but as the months went by, we realised that our second major fundraiser of the year was not to be," she said.
As a result of the current curtailments due to social distancing restrictions, instead of the usual array of pink ribbons, balloons and their trusty volunteers decked out in pink on our streets and shops at the beginning of October, the Irish Cancer Society are looking at alternative ways to fundraise.
The committee have placed Pink Ribbon boxes in a number of business outlets in Mullingar and would encourage everyone to purchase a pink ribbon, badge, or pen - the boxes will be on display for the entire month of October, providing lots of opportunities to contribute.
Another great way of fundraising is to host a virtual coffee morning. With more and more people working remotely, this is an excellent way to link in with friends and work colleagues. Anyone interested can download a Coffee Morning Pack from the Irish Cancer Society’s website.
Alternatively donations can be made by phoning directly to the Irish Cancer Society CallSave number 1850 606060 or 01 2310500.
All donations go towards lifesaving breast cancer research. This research is improving the outcomes for women diagnosed with breast cancer, now over 86% of women are surviving their breast cancer diagnosis for over five years.
As always the committee wish to thank the businesses that have offered to help with this year's campaign and also to thank everyone for their ongoing support and donations to the Irish Cancer Society.