NEWS - 2017
The latest news is at the top below. Click HERE to return to the front page. Keep checking back to this page for the latest!
There is also a Facebook page, so if you're on Facebook, you can check it out there. Just go to Facebook and search for "The Joshua Bell Cure Cancer Run."NEWSSEPTEMBER 12, 2017. Well, it's been a while since I posted anything here, but some things have been happening in the background. Firstly, we have been looking at a different date for next year - May is just too busy with other things, and we end up clashing with other events. Perhaps April? Choosing a date has been on the back-burner a bit, so I will get back to that soon.
You might recall that I had held over a couple of vouchers from the Blue Mountains to give to some families that might be able to use them. As there was no accomommodation of course, I thouhgt they would best suit people who are nearer that area. So rather than contact the local cancer centre, I emailed Randwick Children's Hospital. That was an appropriate place to start, considering Joshua had his treatment there. They have subsequently forwarded the details on to the Childrens Cancer Centre who they say would be better suited to allocate the vouchers to families in their care. I'm waiting for them to get back to me.
MAY 20, 2017. It took a few days, but there are now some photos up. I've posted some on a Photos page here, but there is also a link to a whole lot more photos on our Facebook page. (You don't have to be a member of Facebook to see them though). Click here to go to the Photos page.
MAY 13, 2017. WELL, WHAT AN AMAZING DAY!!! WHAT AN AMAZING EVENT!! The event was a success before we even got to the day itself, and then the response on the day just added to that. When everything was totalled up it was amazing - far more successful than I could have ever dreamed of!!
As I said, we went into the day with the event already being a great success! I didn't work out an exact amount, but I knew we had raised around $1800 before we even got to the event! So it was going to be onwards and upwards from there.There were 44 entries in total, fairly evenly split between bikes and cars. And about 70 people in attendance. All had a good time, admiring the cars and bikes, chatting, and eating. We sold quite a few raffle tickets too - our general raffles as well as a few more of the Holiday ones. The result of all that was we raised $1,345 on the day. When we got home and totalled everything up, the amount was greater than I'd thought. An amazing amount!THE TOTAL AMOUNT RAISED WAS $3,205.25.
As we had got closer to the day of the event, it looked like we were going to sail past the $2,000 I'd set as our target on the donation page; but I didn't ever think we would pass the $3,000 mark! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED US!!! (Click HERE to see a full list, with links, to all those wonderfully generous businesses, and individuals).Here is a breakdown of how the money came in:
Entries - $440
Raffles (general ones) - $316
Holidays raffle - $1405
Auctions - $409
Donations - $635.25
Total - $3205.25.
The winners of the Holiday Raffle were:
1st. Ticket GREEN E 85 - Lyn Prythirst
2nd. Ticket GREEN E 49 - (Name to be confirmed)
3rd. Ticket PINK H 58 - Carilyn Ryan.
There are so many people to thank, which I will do in a later post. But a special thanks to Shannons for their support and generous donation, and especially to Damien, of Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, who initiated the donations from the area that allowed us to put together such fabulous holiday packages as prizes for the raffle.Thanks to my wife, Jan, who did such a lot of work handling the raffles, and cooking etc. as well as handling the donations at the door. Thanks also to my daughters, Linda and Amie, who helped out a lot on the day as well. A special thanks to Julie Clark who not only helped serve the tea and coffee, but helped out in other ways, especially with the raffles, displaying and handling out the prizes etc. (I hadn't organised anyone to do that, but she saw what needed to be done and jumped in and did it). Thanks also to Dapto Anglican Church, for the venue, and the assistance with signage etc. I think it worked out to be a great venue - especially when we changed the entrance to the door around the back that opened onto the carpark, instead of the door facing the street! MAY 10, 2017. The "problem" - not that it really was a problem - of the other event on at the same time has not only been solved, but it's made the whole operation even better! Instead of entering by the front door (which you still will be able to do), our main entrance will be around the back of the hall. So drive into the praking area and go around the back, and you'll be right outside the door leading you into the building. I should've arranged it this way from the start! I have updated the "How To Enter" page to show the new arrangement. (Although, as I said, if you go to the door at the front as previously indictaed, you can still get in that way too).
Remember to see one of the young guys to get the sticker for your car / bike so you'll be in the running for the People's Choice Trophy. (One each for car and bike).MAY 9, 2017. Okay, so you know how I said we would have the parking area all to ourselves, because nothing would be on at the church on Saturday? Well, it turns out that there is something on - a high-tea for Mothers Day in the Cafe at the front of the building. But don't worry - there will be plenty of room to park; and we might even have our own area divided off. Either way, there will be a couple of young guys in fluoro vests to tell you where to go - and also give you your number sticker so people can vote for you in the People's Choice award. And plenty of signs too. So it's all good! Come and enjoy the chatting with other bikers / classic car drivers, and have some free tea / coffee and munchies, and maybe win some great prizes!! And of course, help out with this most needy cause! Saturday 2pm, Dapto Anglican Church Hall. (Just in case you forgot where it is!).
MAY 7, 2017. I said below that all the prizes were listed on the Prizes page, and they were, and they are, but there are more of them! There have been a couple of additions to the raffles - more passes on the Blue Mountains bus. But we also have a fabulous art / craft piece, which is a collage of watch and clock parts made into the shape of an FJ Holden. It is described on the box in these words: “Created by a skilled watchmaker. Each collage consists of over 100 watch and clock parts, from established watch and clock manufacturers all over the world”. Valued at $600. This will be auctioned on the day. The artist met a member of our car club at an event today, who told him about the event, and he wanted to get involved and support it. Isn't that wonderful!
MAY 4, 2017. Finally!! All the prizes are now published on the Prizes page. I'm sorry this has taken so long, but it took that long to get everything together. All the businesses were very happy to support us, but with a couple, it took almost 2 months from when I first approached them until I walked out their door with the donated items. (Well, they do have a business to run!). Then it took a few days for me to get everything sorted out and published on the web-site here.
The up-side is that we have some great prizes - including, of course, our fabulous Blue Mountains holiday packages!! MAY 4, 2017. Another day and our Blue Mountains Holiday prizes get bigger again!! Instead of high-tea for two (which would be very nice!), the Carrington Hotel have offered us accommodation for two - valued at $210, as opposed to $70 for the high-tea. For people in this area, having accomodation is more practical than a fancy afternoon-tea, so I have gratefully accepted that offer.
Consequently, the 2nd prize loses the high-tea, but gains a family pass to Jenolan Caves, which adds an extr $30 or so to the value of the prize. The 3rd prize loses the pass to Jenalon Caves, but gains the accommodation at the Carrington Hotel, which increases the value of that prize to over $400. What a fabulous raffle this has become!!MAY 3, 2017. FANTASTIC NEWS!!!! Not only has our Blue Mountains Holiday got bigger (now includes a family pass to Jenolan Caves), but we now have A SECOND HOLIDAY INCLUDED IN THE RAFFLE!!
Accommodation for 2 at the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains which includes a buffet breakfast, a family pass on the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, a family pass to Scenic World Blue Mountains, and High-Tea for 2 at the Carrington Hotel. Total value about $600. Yes, that's a fabulous 2nd prize!! (If you win the raffle you might even want to choose this as your prize if you prefer it!).But wait - there's more! (Gee, I sound like one of those ads that sells steak knives on late night TV!).We have a package of free passes that includes a family pass on the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, a family pass to Scenic World, and a family pass to Jenolan caves. The value of that is almost $300! Yes, that's 3rd prize! Fabulous isn't it! And all this for just $5 a ticket!So get in now and grab some tickets! Remember every dollar you spend on these tickets goes 100% to The Kids' Cancer Project. There are no overheads taken out at all, thanks to the wonderful generosity of the businesses who have supported us.To buy tickets, go to the page that The Kids Cancer Project set up for us (click here) and just make your donation ($5 per ticket) and write "RAFFLE" in the comment. I will post your tickets to you, or email you with numbers.MAY 2, 2017. Our Blue Mountains Holiday that we are raffling is getting bigger and better!!! We already had accommodation for two at the 4.5-star rated Rooster Restaurant and Jamison Guesthouse, with 3-course dinner for two including a bottle of wine, a family pass on the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus, a family pass to Scenic World Blue Mountains, and now to that we can add a family pass to Leuralla NSW Toy and Railway Museum, and a family pass to Jenolan Caves. Isn't that fabulous!! And all for just $5 a ticket!!
Remember the event is Saturday week, the 13th May, at 2pm at Dapto Anglican Church hall. Everyone is welcome to come along, but you don't have to be there to get a ticket in this raffle. Just donate the appropriate amount ($5 per ticket) to the "Everyday Hero" page that The Kids' Cancer Project has set up for us, (click the link I just highlighted) writing "RAFFLE" as a comment, and I will get the ticket(s) to you.MAY 1, 2017. Two weeks (a little less) out from the event and we are already 1/3 way to the target I set of $2,000. Thanks to the wonderfully generous donation from Shannons, and other very generous donations from individuals.
APRIL 26, 2017. Most of the donations for prizes have involved me going around to various businesses and telling them about the event and asking for donations. But we are starting to get businesses approaching me! That has been most heart-warming! I can't say any more until I actually have them, but there are a couple of donations coming that are very generous indeed! So watch this space for some exciting news!
APRIL 26, 2017. I still don't have all the prizes, so I can't tell you how they will be divided up and what you will get for each one. I'm sorry this is taking so long, but some businesses are slow getting their donations organised and actually making the donation to us. They are coming, but slowly in some cases. But they will be worth winning!!
APRIL 19, 2017. The donations for the prizes are comingin, but I don't have all of them yet, so still can't put up list of the prizes for each category. But there are some good items, so it is well worth entering - and buying some raffle tickets!
March 25, 2017. The Kids Cancer Project has set up an "Everyday Hero"page for the event. This allows all the donations to go to one separate section and be recognised as donations from this event. It also allows them - and us - more opportunities to promote the event. As donations will now all be made through this page, the details of how you donate online have changed. (See the "How To Enter" page). Here is the link to the page. Most updates will be on this page, or on our Facebook page, but you can follow the Everyday Hero one too, which will show current donations etc.
March 24, 2017. Something NEW for this year! This year we will have a trophy you can win! I will have a trophy for People's Choice - voted on by everyone there - in both the car and bike categories. So even more reason to come along - you might win a trophy!!
March 23, 2017. Thank you Shannons! As promised, they have covered the cost of hiring the hall - including public liability, so no more having to sign those indemnity forms! - and they have made a $500 donation! Very generous indeed!
March 21, 2017. Some more donations today. FM Discount Spares donated a srteering lock and a set of high quality jumper-leads. Haworth Shellharbour Music Centredonated a $50 gift voucher, and Dreamworks Vehicle Restoration (also known as Wally's Paint & Panel) donated $100 to be used to purchase prizes / gifts. Thank you all so much!
March 20, 2017. I picked up some more prizes for our event today - a beautiful big mirror from Haines Glass Dapto, and some Ducati merchandise from Fraser Motorcycles - Wollongong. More coming! So as they say, "You've got to be in it to win it", so come along and join in - even if you don't have a classic car, or a motorbike, you can still come.
March 7, 2017. Sorry I haven't updated this for a little while, but things have been happening in the background, albeit fairly slowly. I'm currently doing the rounds of local businesses who have supported us in the past, arranging donations we can use as prizes for our lucky-entrant prize and for raffles and auctions. It might take a while to lock in all the prizes, (so the Prizes page might remain blank for a while yet), but all the businesses I have contacted have been very willing to come on board and help us again. That is very generous of them!
February 1, 2017. Well, the venue that I mentioned below - Dapto Anglican Church Hall - is definite (well, it was definite then really, just not officially definite!). I have updated the web-site here to include details of the new venue. It's actually easier to get to than the one we were using. The parking isn't exactly right outside the door, but as I mentioned below, it will be exclusively ours for the day, and runs around the whole church complex in a U shape. So it will work out well. You'll see directions of how to get there, as well as photos showing where it is and which door to come in, on the How To Enter page.
January 31, 2017. Great news! I spoke with Shannons Insurance today and they are keen to get involved again this year. It's early days yet, so nothing set in concrete, but they are keen to get involved again, with similar support to last year. Thank you Shannons!
January 31, 2017. The venue has been arranged. Not official yet, so it will be a few days before everything gets changed on the site here, but I can tell you that we will be using the Dapto Anglican Church's hall in Moombara St Dapto. As I mentioned below, this will be a little cheaper than the Ribbonwood Centre, and there is a generous carpark (in a kind of U shape) that won't be used by anyone else on the day; so we have it all to ourselves. I think it should work out well!
January 24, 2017. The venue will change for this year's event. It has to anyway, because our usual hall is being renovated at the time we are having the event. One option - which has been booked, tentatively - is another room on the other side of the RIbbonwood complex. But I am in the process of arranging a totally different venue that I think will suit us better. And is (slightly) cheaper. Just waiting on confirmation, so will let you know when it has all been finalsed.
January 5, 2017. The web-site has now been up-dated. Nothing new really, except I have removed the requirement to sign an indemnity form when you enter. This was always a bit of a hassle, but necessary due to legal stuff - basically not being covered by public liability insurance. This year I am determined to remove that little inconvenience by obtaining public liability insurance for the event. Note, however, that this will cover the event itself - which is inside the hall, NOT anything that happens outside the hall. (I am in the process of arranging this now).
December 2016. The date has been set, as you will have seen from the front page. It is Saturday 13th May. So write it in the diary and plan to be there!!
