People from Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty gave more than $21,000 at today’s Child Cancer Foundation breakfast and auction fundraiser.
And event organisers hope to be able to raise more than $3000 from a Trade Me car auction in the coming weeks, to hit their fundraising target of $25,000.
In 2022 the annual event raised more than $20,000 for the charity after coming back from a two-year Covid-19 hiatus.
This year’s event, hosted by Professionals, was held at Distinction Rotorua Hotel and Conference Centre and included the auction of 12 artworks by children supported by the foundation.
Five-year-old Noah John Hall, from Taupō, couldn’t watch the auction because he was being treated for a rare form of kidney cancer at Starship Hospital this morning.
Noah’s grandmother, Diane Mercer, said Noah made his painting knowing he might not be able to attend because of his compromised immune system.
“It’s been really hard,” Mercer said.
“But you just have to stay positive.”
Noah was diagnosed earlier this year, just one month after he had started school.
Since then one of Noah’s kidneys has been removed and he has divided his time between treatment at Rotorua Hospital and Starship.
“He said he didn’t know he had two kidneys,” Mercer said.
“He’s been really good about it all. We tell him everything and he understands.”
Mercer said Noah was really excited about his painting and she was under strict instructions to make sure it came back home.
She won the painting at auction for $750.
“The Child Cancer Foundation does a really, really good job. It’s a worthwhile thing to give them money.”
Mother Jamie Graham said the foundation “did so much” for her family and her son Oliver Graham-Taiapa after he was diagnosed with T-Cell ALL or acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at 6.
“He was very young, just trying to make friends.”
Oliver will turn 11 this month. In August, he earned his 1160th bead of courage to mark the completion of his treatment.
“We’re just getting back to normal,” Graham said.
Child Cancer Foundation family support coordinator Pam Royal said the money fundraised today would “mean a lot” to families.
“It will help whānau by providing petrol vouchers and grocery shops,” Royal said.
“We make sure their cars are roadworthy and help with power accounts to make sure their homes are warm and so much more.
“It’s about making sure children get to treatment. It’s about making the children comfortable. Any donation helps.”
Rotorua Professionals McDowell Real Estate principal Steve Lovegrove said the staff at Professionals were proud to be presenting the event for the 27th time.
Lovegrove told the Rotorua Daily Post during a break that the fundraiser was going “really well”.
Lovegrove, one of the event’s two auctioneers, said it always amazed him to see the generosity of the Rotorua community.
“We’ve got people that have supported us year after year, after year,” Lovegrove said.
“We’re always happy with the support that we get.”
In 2018 the breakfast raised $40,000. In 2019 a charity ball was held in its place raising $35,000.
Child Cancer Foundation funding and growth manager Chris Key said the charity was grateful for the work behind today’s breakfast and auction.
“We need about $7 million each year to do what we do,” Key said.
“If it wasn’t for the support from people like the team at Professionals we couldn’t do what we do.”
Key said a child’s cancer diagnosis changed the lives of whole families.
“We’re there to support the families emotionally and practically,” Key said.
“We believe every child with cancer should be able to live well and continue to dream.”
Key said there was an 85 per cent success rate of children coming through cancer treatment.
Maryana Garcia is a regional reporter writing for the Rotorua Daily Post and the Bay of Plenty Times. She covers local issues, health and crime.