Spread a little love and pick up a rose for a reason tomorrow at Murray Street Mall from Cystic Fibrosis WA.
We all have busy schedules, but sometimes we need to set aside some time to appreciate the people we love and help those in need - in this case the thousands of Australians suffering from Cystic Fibrosis.
May is the month dedicated to raising awareness of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) internationally. As part of the ’65 Roses’ campaign, this year’s 65 Roses Day takes place on Friday 26 May.
Hundreds of volunteers and businesses across Western Australia are banding together to sell 13,500 long stemmed roses to raise much needed money to provide care to children and young adults living with CF. The proceeds will also go towards funding world class research right here in WA.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease, which affects nearly 4,000 children and young adults living in Australia. It is as common as childhood leukaemia but whereas over 95% of cases of childhood Leukaemia are cured, there is still no cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic Fibrosis CEO Nigel Barker says, “Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a disease which is robbing our children of their futures, drowning their lungs in mucus but in May we’re fighting back and we’re winning!”
“Over one million Australian adults carry the recessive gene that causes CF but don’t know it. If two of those people get together and have a baby then there will be a one in four chance that the baby will be born with a double recessive gene and have CF. Couples wanting to start a family can be screened for CF easily but over half of all babies are unplanned.”
Significant organisational involvement is through WAFEX who supports the 65 Roses Campaign by generously donating and supplying the fresh roses leading up to the day and notable volunteer involvement includes employees from Telstra, WAFEX and CommBank.
WAFEX National Manager, Daniel Stean says, “We are once again delighted to partner with Cystic Fibrosis WA for 65 Roses Day. Last year we broke records on the number of roses sold and we intend to lift the bar even further in 2017. 65 Roses Day is an excellent platform to raise funds for an important charity along with bringing the beauty of fresh roses to the community.”
Roses for 65 Roses Day will be sold by CFWA volunteers at $5 per stem, or $50 for 12 roses, throughout Western Australia.
Why 65 Roses?
“65 Roses” sounds like cystic fibrosis. Our “65 Roses” story dates back to 1965, when an observant 4-year-old, hearing the name of his disease for the first time, pronounced cystic fibrosis as "65 Roses." Today, “65 Roses” helps us create awareness and make a difference for families in their fight with cystic fibrosis.
This year’s campaign will commence with a Rose Wrapping Day on Thursday May 25 at two venues within the Perth CBD, with the Murray Street Mall and various suburban shopping centres being the key locations for selling roses on Friday May 26.
In addition to these areas, 65 Roses is looking at expanding the campaign through more regional areas in Western Australia and is still actively requiring volunteers for various locations.
You can get involved by calling Karen De Lore at CFWA on 08 6457 7333 and donating a couple of hours of your time to sell roses at one of several hundred sites around WA with a friend or other volunteers.
For further information or to donate visit http://www.cysticfibrosis.org.au/wa/65roses.
