FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Beccles Friends of Cancer Research UK fundraiser event has been around for a quarter-century now and has successfully hosted its first event for the year. The group, consisting of a team of enthusiastic volunteers, have so far been able to raise £300,000 towards cancer research. A full English breakfast and a lighter option were served at the event, at Beccles Public Hall, for as little as £6 and £3 each. Beccles Friends also organizes several other fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to fight cancer.

STRIDE FOR LIFE

CanSupport, a pioneering NGO providing palliative care support, held its 11th annual Walk for Life: Stride Against Cancer event in Delhi. The walk was aimed at spreading awareness about the dreaded disease and to honor all those lives claimed by cancer. The event was also a fundraiser towards the activities of CanSupport’s palliative care programmes. Walk for Life was inaugurated by actress Manisha Koirala, along with Sangeeta Jaitley, wife of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The event, sponsored by Boeing, witnessed over 10,000 participants this year.

DANCING CANCER AWAY

Deemed the largest student-run philanthropic event in the world, Pennsylvania State University’s THON saw bigger, better crowds this year. What began 45 years ago as a humble charity event has now become a multimillion-dollar fundraising effort by students for the Four Diamonds Fund at the Pennsylvania Hershey Children’s Hospital. The 46 hour-long dance marathon spanned a period of three days and saw hundreds of students dancing tirelessly, raising $10.1 million for families dealing with childhood cancer.

DRAPED FOR ACTION

We have seen runners in joggers and shorts sweating it out at marathons. But how about a hundred saree-clad women, some of them even strapping their babies to their chests, running a 3-km marathon with no less gusto? You read that right! In a unique collaboration between Taneira, a Titan brand that retails handwoven sarees, and Pinkathon, a hundred women took to the streets of Indiranagar in Bengaluru to raise awareness about breast cancer and women’s health. The event began with a fun Zumba session and the Taneira staff helped participants drape their sarees in a way that would not be a hindrance to their running.

TIME TO SPEAK UP

Australian citizen Jenna Brook wants to create a buzz around bowel cancer, cancer that is not much discussed. Running for Bums saw her setting off on a 4500km trek, from Tasmania to Cape York in Queensland. The subject, she said, is extremely close to her heart as she grew up watching her grandfather battling bowel cancer and surviving it. Brook herself had over ten bowel polyps removed. The run, which also doubled as a fundraiser for the cause, aimed to raise awareness about the illness, especially among the youth.