SURVIVORSHIP DRAGONBOAT TEAM AND PENTICTON WRITERS AND PUBLISHERS TEAMED UP
This contest is now finished, this information is here for historical purposes.
The Survivorship Dragonboat Team is pleased to announce they are the recipients of a cash award from Avon's Pink Ribbon Campaign. Survivorship has decided to host a writing contest, with the help of the Penticton Writers and Publishers. This group will help judge and short list applicants and Survivorship will have the final choice.
"We are happy to help the Survivorship Team with this contest,” says Yasmin John-Thorpe, co-founder of the Penticton Writers and Publishers.
Cathie Lauer, vice president of Survivorship and an Avon representative said "Our photo application for the "Avon Pain it Pink Canada Campaign” was accepted. The grant is to be used for community awareness of Breast Cancer. We provided information about various events, programs, education, support services and research dollars raised by Survivorship over the past 11 years and we were chosen as one of the winners. To that end, we have chosen to do a couple of things with the funds. A hospital visitation program for women undergoing breast cancer surgery and treatment, an Open House on March 20 to let people know what we as a team are about and a new project , a writing contest. We felt the contest was a good way to see how breast cancer has affected the women and families in the Okanagan.”
Avon is a major supporter of breast cancer research and has donated over 16 million dollars to Breast Cancer Research since initiating the crusade program 16 years ago. It has donated 600 million dollars in over 50 countries for awareness, education screening, diagnosis, access to treatment, support services and research. Last June, Avon launched the "Paint it Pink Canada Campaign”. This program was created to raise the much needed funds for local breast cancer charities to carry on their various works. The program invited all Canadians to submit a photo of themselves, their group or anything with the expression of pink (the colour of hope), along with a local breast cancer charity nomination. The general public was then invited to vote on their favourite picture and Avon would donate $2.00 for every vote, up to a maximum of $500,000.
The contest is open to anyone in the Okanagan Valley, not involved in the judging process. There are two categories: 10 – 16 yrs. & 17 and older. The challenge is to tell us how breast cancer has changed your life. The opening sentence is to be: "It was the day I found out how breast cancer changed my life…” Entries are due by May 28, 2010.
Three winners were chosen in each category to receive a cash prize of $100, $75 and $50 respectively.