CHILDREN WITH CANCER SAY THANKS TO TELECOM

Telecom has announced today that the Child Cancer Foundation will receive $250,000 as a recipient of its online Charity Vote donation.

The vote sees the Child Cancer Foundation receive a quarter share of the $1 million pledged by Telecom in September as a gesture of goodwill to its customers.

Child Cancer Foundation CEO, Jim Barclay, is delighted with the result and would like to acknowledge Telecom and Xtra customers for their support over the voting period which began on 5 September.

“Telecom’s donation will make a huge difference to the future of the Foundation and New Zealand children affected by childhood cancer. We are currently embarking on a period of growth to extend our services and research initiatives and the $250,000 donation is a huge windfall for us.

“We would like to thank Xtra customers for voting for us. The donation is a considerable sum and will allow us to positively change the lives of children and families affected by childhood cancer nationwide,” says Barclay.

The Child Cancer Foundation will use the donation to fund ongoing Family Support services; one of its core offerings. The Family Support service offers emotional and practical support to children with cancer and their families. This support comes in many forms including assistance in the form of meals, transportation, accommodation, support groups, education scholarships and access to holiday homes.

Part of the donation money will also be used in the refurbishment of the Family Place drop-in centres in Auckland and Christchurch, providing an improved space and better facilities for children and their families taking time out from treatment at the hospital.

Research initiatives funded by the Child Cancer Foundation into late effects (the after effects experienced by children treated for cancer) will also benefit. In New Zealand around 80% of children diagnosed with cancer survive and as the survival rate continues to grow, late effects are an increasingly important area of research for the Foundation.