“Our task won’t be easy – childhood cancer is hugely complex – but we’re confident that with the brightest brains, the best facilities and the greatest determination, we will get the job done. It’s not if. It’s when”
I recently took part in the Children’s Cancer Institute’s CEO Dare to Cure challenge. The event, which took place on 23 October, kicked off bright and early at 6am and saw over 100 CEOs and business leaders taking on a dare in Sydney (or remotely around the country) to support childhood cancer research.
There was a buzz in the air with a feeling of adrenaline (and perhaps some apprehension) as each participant took on their challenge, which included walking on fire or glass, extreme fitness, ice bath, mystery box, the big shave and the snake bath.
The day was both exciting and inspiring and was of course in support of a very worthy cause.
The children who this event was held to support do not get to choose the challenge they face each day. Given this, I put a poll out to my supporters as to what I should do, and my fate was sealed – the snake bath it was.
Alongside overcoming one of my greatest fears that day, I was delighted and grateful to be recognised and to be given the CEO Dare to Cure Ambassador Champion Award. However, the real champions on the day were of course the many inspiring children that we met and who shared their stories with us. They included our team captains Ava and Nixon, as well as children’s spokesperson Lulu who had all attendees in awe when she talked about her own experience, on stage and live on television.
The strength, resilience and light that these children bring shows just how powerful and meaningful the work at the Children’s Cancer Institute is. It was an inspirational and emotional day for me to see how courageous these children, their families and supporters are when faced with this devasting challenge. I felt deeply privileged to meet these amazing survivors and the team that do this critical lifesaving work.
On the day, we were able to raise over $901,000! This was an incredible effort considering the organisers had set an initial target of $700,000.
At the time of writing we are close to reaching a revised target of $1 million and this generosity means so much given the current Covid-19 crisis. It has been a challenging year for all, especially for charities.
The Children’s Cancer Institute has been hit hard and cancer does not of course stop for a pandemic. With funding down by the millions, reaching this milestone is paramount in bridging their current funding gap and provides much needed hope.
A big thank you to CEO Magazine and TIKS Solutions who sponsored the day, and to everyone that assisted in making this event such a success.
Next year will be even bigger! And so might the challenges…. But please, help us achieve our goal of $1 million. To donate head to: https://www.ceodaretocure.org.au/my-fundraising/210/emma-hendry
For further information on what the Children’s Cancer Institute does or to get involved head to: https://ccia.org.au/
