THE Beanies for Brain Cancer fundraiser, a fundraising initiative of the Mark Hughes Foundation, was an outstanding success locally again this year.
Local retailers, child care centres and schools had beanies for sale, as well as running fundraisers when beanies sold out nationwide.
Woolworths Medowie sold a total of $3,000 worth of beanies, with several hundred dollars more in cupcake and cash donations.
The talented girls of the bakery also decorated Minion and Brain-themed cupcakes for purchase, with all of the proceeds going to the charity.
Manager Mark Keating told News Of The Area, “We’d like to thank the community for getting behind our fundraising efforts as well as they did.”
“From beanies to cupcakes, and even all the people donating their change at the self-serve checkouts instead of pocketing it,” he said.
Mark Hughes visited Medowie Woolworths and Irrawang High School to meet locals and students, and to say thank you in person for raising much needed funds for this terrible disease.
Jess Halloran, a Year 10 student at Irrawang High School, lost her Mum to brain cancer last August and decided to head the Irrawang High fundraiser in her memory, with the assistance of her year advisor, Rachelle Burns.
Staff and students who wore a beanie, and many who didn’t, gave a gold coin donation at assembly, and the school ran a cake stall at recess and a sausage sizzle at lunch.
A special assembly was held in Mark Hughes’ honour, where he told his own personal story of battling brain cancer, before accepting a cheque for $1350 from Irrawang staff and students.
Medowie Woolworths also named their fundraising efforts in memory of Jess Halloran’s Mum, Jodie, and a fundraising trivia night was held in her honour that night, raising another several thousand dollars for Brain Cancer.
Woolworths fundraising coordinator, Jacquie Cox, told News Of The Area, “Only through community support, can we achieve great results for these worthwhile causes.”
“Medowie is a caring and generous community.”
By Rachael VAUGHAN
