October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a group of locals are encouraging the community to support the cause by getting together with friends, family and workmates at this year's Mother's Day Classic Pink High Tea.
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The event on September 28 in Port Macquarie helps put the spotlight on breast cancer and contributes funds to life-saving breast cancer research.
One in seven Australian women and one in 675 Australian men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and a local volunteer group are continuing to raise awareness of breast cancer, and funds for research.
Organisers behind the annual Port Macquarie Mother's Day Classic (MDC) will be hosting the high tea at The Westport Club between 2pm and 5pm to launch Breast Cancer Awareness Month, raising awareness of the disease locally, while also raising funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation's (NBCF) research projects.
Nationally, more than 50 women face a diagnosis each and every day in Australia; eight women die from the disease every single day.
In the Port Macquarie-Hastings area specifically, breast cancer is among the top three common cancers, with a higher than average breast cancer incidence rate and mortality rate in this region than the rest of the state.
Funds raised from the Pink High Tea are donated to the NBCF's research into prevention, early detection, better treatment options, and ultimately a cure for breast cancer. Since the NBCF's inception in 1994, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer has increased from 76 per cent to 90 per cent and the NBCF is working towards a goal of zero deaths from breast cancer by 2030.
Pink High Tea event organisers, Kylie Bulmer and Carmen Abi-Saab, are keen to put the spotlight on the disease and contribute to their ongoing fundraising efforts for breast cancer research.
"The MDC Pink High Tea is now in its third year, and we're really looking forward to it," says Kylie.
"The Westport Club has jumped on board again as our major event sponsor and we've put our own theme on this year's event - a focus on inspiring and thriving. We have some fabulous local and inspirational speakers, including two of our 2019 MDC ambassadors.
"We'll also be hearing from The Posify Group as well as Naomi Hunter from HEM Property. We've got live entertainment, lucky door prizes, raffles and a silent auction - all with the objective of raising funds for research. And, of course, a 'Pink' theme. We've even designed our own high tea menu of savoury and sweet canapes, and we'll be offering guests pink bubbles, as well as pink-themed specialty teas, cocktails and mocktails."
MDC ambassadors, Bron Watson and Irene Mifsud, are proud to be involved in the event. They're passionate about spreading the word about breast cancer awareness, early detection and funding research.
They're also passionate about focusing on what matters most in life. While the message about breast cancer awareness can be a sad one, organisers say this year's event is about flourishing and thriving and enjoying an uplifting afternoon with family and friends.
"This is a great time of year," Kylie said. "We made our donation to the Mid North Coast Cancer Institute last week, which was a result of fundraising activities we undertook at our Mother's Day Classic event in May, and we'll be announcing our Port Macquarie Mother's Day Classic fundraising results for the NBCF next week. The Pink High Tea helps us kick off a new round of fundraising."
Jenny Edmunds, Community and Sports Manager from The Westport Club said the club has been supporting the annual Mother's Day Classic and the MDC Pink High Tea for the last three years.
"The MDC Port Macquarie team are doing amazing things to support breast cancer locally and the Club is so proud to align with such a proactive team where together we are making a difference to our local community," she said.
For people interested in attending the MDC Pink High Tea, purchase tickets as soon as possible.
Ticket sales close Wednesday, September 25. People can buy tickets individually or get a table of 10 together.
There's more information on their Facebook Event Page, or people can buy tickets via the Eventbrite ticket platform.