Buy a blue towel and help beat breast cancer
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Regional Victoria is being asked to get on board with a fundraising appeal to help those living with the insidious disease.
The so called "Little Blue Towel" might not seem like much, but each packet sold will help those diagnosed with breast cancer spend time at a special retreat with their families at no cost, courtesy of the OTIS Foundation.
The towels are recycled from hospitals where they have been used to dry sterilised hands, and are normally discarded after a single use.
As part of the Little Blue Towels initiative - the brainchild of The Horizon Committee - they are instead laundered and packaged by supported employment enterprises for people with disability.
The recycled towels - lint free, super absorbent and perfect for cleaning, camping or fishing - can then be purchased from any Bendigo Bank branch, with proceeds going to the OTIS Foundation.
OTIS Foundation General Manager, Rachel Mason, said this year the charity will make close to 4,000 nights of accommodation available to those diagnosed with breast cancer and their families, in beautiful retreats across Australia.
"By buying a $5 packet of Little Blue Towels you will support OTIS to provide this unique gift and help us expand the number of retreats we offer," she said.
Breast cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia and it is estimated that 15,934 females and 150 males will be diagnosed with new cases in 2016.
One in eight women will be diagnosed during their lifetime and eight women die every day from the disease.
Bendigo Bank State Manager Tim Rodda said the statistics were staggering, and the Bank wanted to do all it could to help.
"Bendigo Bank has been a long-time supporter of The OTIS Foundation and we’re proud to be able to help them even further with the Little Blue Towels fundraising campaign as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month," Mr Rodda said.
"Every one of us has known someone who has battled breast cancer, so we see this as another important step in helping to strengthen our local communities."
Every Bendigo Bank branch in regional Victoria will be participating in the fundraiser - 128 in all. Packs of five towels are $5 and 100 percent of proceeds from the sale of these recycled towels go to the OTIS Foundation.
