The amazing fundraising event that is the annual Liquor Industry Trade lunch hosted by the Bayfield Family has once again showcased the generosity of this industry, raising more than $345,000 last week.
This was the 21st annual event and last Wednesday’s great fundraiser means more than $3.5 million has been raised to help the Children’s Cancer Institute.
Beverage industry leaders and heavyweights gathered for lunch, which was back in person at the Belrose Hotel, Belrose after going virtual last year.
Wayne Bayfield, CEO of Bayfield Hotels, said: “Given the challenging year we have all had as an industry, it has been so wonderful to be able to get together with our industry friends for this special charity event. Despite COVID, the industry rallied behind the Children’s Cancer Institute to help fund their vital research.
“I am so proud of our industry friends for helping achieve such a phenomenal result that will have a significant impact on the future of children with cancer.”
The gathered heard from Professor Maria Kavallaris, head of the Translational Cancer Nanomedicine Theme and group leader of the Tumor Biology and Targeting Group at Children’s Cancer Institute, and founding director of the Australian Center for NanoMedicine at UNSW Sydney.
Professor Kavallaris said: “The latest childhood cancer statistics, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, estimate that there will be 1,294 cases of cancer in 0-19 year olds this year. Despite the overall survival rate now increasing by about 85 percent, there are still two major issues.
“First, some cancers still have a very low cure rate, so despite improvements there are still nearly three childhood cancer deaths per week in Australia.
“Second, more than two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors have health problems as a result of their treatment, sometimes for the rest of their lives.”
Professor Kavallaris also said the Children’s Cancer Institute was making exciting progress through the Zero Childhood Cancer Program for Personalized Medicine (ZERO), a joint initiative of the Institute and Kids Cancer Center at Sydney Children’s Hospital, involving every children’s hospital in Australia. . And she added that even more excitement is ahead with the construction of Australia’s first Comprehensive Children’s Cancer Center, which will house both the Institute and the Kids Cancer Center and is on track to open in 2025.
In terms of what exactly this fundraiser means for the Institute, Anne Johnston, Head of Fundraising & Marketing said: “We are so grateful to the Bayfield family and their friends from the beverage industry for their dedicated support. To fund a senior researcher at the lab bench with all their consumables and all the operational support needed for an entire year, we need $130,000 – so the industry helped raise enough for two senior researchers and one junior researcher for an entire year to conduct our critical research for children with cancer. Astonishing…”
You can help continue the fight against childhood cancer by donating on the Children’s Cancer Institute website.
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