This past quarter has been our busiest ever, and one of the most fulfilling. It was perfect timing to welcome two new members to our team - Abby Bowden as PR Manager and Sydney-based Catherine Zahari to manage our Corporate Bowel Screening Program. A special mention also to Alice Turnbull for lending a hand with our SA Hiking Challenge and Little Black Dress Classic events.
It was pleasing to see over 80 people join our SA Hiking Challenge in May, making it our largest endurance event, and last month we launched our first #iknowsome1 awareness campaign for the year – a hugely successful night. I very much enjoyed speaking at the Adelaide Football Club Chairman’s Function before the game.
I am also proud to say that my son Jack recently spoke at his school assembly about the Foundation and the importance of the early detection of bowel cancer. Jodi would have been equally as proud of him.
Looking forward to the next few months, you will see our TV commercial hit the national airways – a first for bowel cancer in Australia – and a second #iknowsome1 football game at the Carlton v Gold Coast Suns match on 9th August. Be sure to join in on Twitter or Instagram to help us save lives by raising awareness of this largely preventable disease.
Nick Lee
Founder & CEO
A fun day had by all at the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival
We were proud to be chosen as the official charity partner for the Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival this year, the world’s biggest picnic race meeting. We all enjoyed a fun family day at the races, where Foundation ticket holders were treated to a VIP tasting experience in The Paddock, Oakbank’s newest precinct, allowing us to sample the gourmet selection available from local artisan food vendors.
The Paddock is located in a beautiful grassed area behind the Member’s stand, adjacent to the horse stalls. We drifted through this relaxing space all day, sipping lovely wines and delicious cocktails and listening to laid-back music by local DJs. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival!
World Champions paddleboard for bowel cancer
In May, World Champion paddle boarders, Bly Bayliss and Gavin Hill, paddled 70kms across the Gulf of St Vincent to Glenelg in an incredible eight hours – raising $20,000 for bowel cancer prevention. An amazing achievement!
Their motivation behind completing the epic paddle across the Gulf of St Vincent came from their close personal experiences with bowel cancer. Sadly, Gavin lost both his parents to bowel cancer and they both have two close mates affected by the disease.
Bly and Gavin will continue to fundraise until they leave for Hawaii this month, to compete in the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard Championship, where they will defend their 2013 title.
Thanks so much Bly and Gavin – best of luck for the World Championship!
SA Hiking Challenge a real hit
This year’s SA Hiking Challenge was a huge success, with the event growing from just 19 participants last year to over 80 this year, and more than $80,000 raised to help fund our bowel cancer prevention programs and initiatives.
We hiked from the most southern point of the Heysen Trail along the stunning Fleurieu Peninsula coast, covering more than 60kms over two days, all in our signature little black tutu! The trail took us through the Deep Creek and Newland Head Conservation Parks where the scenery was absolutely breathtaking – beaches, blue skies, rugged coast and even the occasional dolphin sighting.
Congratulations to everyone who took part – it was a tough and challenging trail that hosted many daunting hills and testing terrain, but it was well worth it. Click here for a short film capturing some of our favourite moments.
We’re now looking ahead to next year’s hike, where a trek through the Copper Country in SA’s north is on the cards. Watch this space!
Overwhelming support for #iknowsome1
Our #iknowsome1 campaign featured at the Adelaide v North Melbourne match at beautiful Adelaide Oval last month, generating an overwhelming response from the media and raising an incredible amount of awareness for bowel cancer. We were so pleased to see the campaign mentioned on The Footy Show once again, and Adelaide’s Channel 9 News did a weather cross from Walkerville Football Club featuring a story about the coach whose father had been diagnosed with bowel cancer.
We reached more than ½ million people on Twitter alone and our hashtag was trending in Melbourne and Adelaide – a big thank you to all of you who got involved in the campaign! From the amazing banner made by the Crows Supporters, to the film with Brodie Martin (view here) onthe super screen, and our volunteers providing information on the ground… it was hard to miss #iknowsome1 at Adelaide Oval that Saturday night!
Our thanks again to the Adelaide Football Club for getting behind #iknowsome1 – we couldn't pull it off without their amazing support. You can view the campaign here.
Great plug for bowel cancer on Ten's top rating drama Offspring
Bowel cancer was a hot topic on Offspring last month, where Nina talked about the importance of screening and shared a link from The Jodi Lee Foundation’s Facebook page.
In the opening scenes, Billie and Ange were looking at Nina’s Facebook page to find out what her current love interest would be seeing, only to find that Nina’s only post was a link shared from The Jodi Lee Foundation’s Facebook page encouraging screening for the early detection of bowel cancer.
There was an entire dialogue around Nina’s Facebook profile, where Nina defended her post saying bowel cancer is a really important issue as it’s Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, and the test saves lives!
The Offspring on Ten Facebook page posted about the scene, linking to our Facebook page which instantly received over 1,500 new followers!
A huge thank you to Offspring and Nina for helping us raise awareness of bowel cancer. If you missed the episode, don’t worry you can watch it here.
Saint Peter's boys run for bowel cancer
During June, St Peter’s College Junior School students completed a half marathon to show their support for The Jodi Lee Foundation. The entire junior school ran 1km a day for 17 days, completing the half marathon distance with a 4km fun run lead by Nick Lee and Channel Seven’s Jessica Adamson. It was great to see 600 boys throw themselves into the challenge, also raising over $20,000 – a truly remarkable effort!
The event demonstrated to students the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle, which is true for the prevention of so many diseases. Please contact us if you think your school would be interested in hosting a similar event.
Lucy's inspiring story
Lucy was fit and healthy and had no symptoms whatsoever when she took the simple home screening test provided by her employer through our Corporate Bowel Screening Program. She had taken bowel screening tests before, always returning negative results, so was shocked when she returned a positive test, the cause of which was later determined to be bowel cancer.
Fortunately Lucy’s bowel cancer was detected early enough to be successfully treated, and she has now been given a clean bill of health. Lucy is a living testament to the importance of early detection.
You can watch Lucy’s Story here and click here to find out more about our Corporate Bowel Screening Program. That simple screening test may have saved Lucy’s life.
Support our partners and support us too
We are thrilled to announce some exciting new offers for our Foundation friends, though which you will also be supporting us.
Thinking about a new home loan, or even refinancing? Finance thorough Westpac Premium Partnership Manager, Zane Tavakoli, and Westpac bank will make donations to the Foundation over the life of your loan. Best still, there’s no additional cost to you. No matter where you are in Australia, you can contact Zane on 0402 968 298 or ztavakoli@westpac.com.au… and remember to mention that we referred you!
Read more here
Airport or city transfers, a special night out or a business meeting to get to - Executive Passenger Services have a car for you. They specialise in winery tours and weddings too.
Executive Passenger Service have been servicing South Australia for more than 20 years. Use code JLF910 when you book your car, and 5 percent of your fare will be donated to the Foundation. Bookings can be made by calling 08 8353 5233 or online at www.epshirecars.com.
