Raising cancer awareness for the youth
Help raise awareness and funds at beauty pageant on the North Coast.
LISA Smart-Campos, founder of the NPO, People Investing in Needs of Communities (PINC), is urging local residents to get involved in this year’s Miss/Mr Flag Flag Animal Farm Pageant in Ballito. The event will act as fundraiser for the Flag Animal Farm and PINC in aid of cancer youth awareness.
The organisation was started in 2010 and represents five main aspects of raising awareness (cancer, causes, children, communities and conservation), and socio-economic relevance in South Africa, assisting communities, families and individuals along with various skills developments within KZN and Gauteng.
“This is the second year we are hosting the event and we felt it is important because so many families are dealing with cancer,” Campos said. “It’s also not something just affecting adults. This fundraiser is about an opportunity to begin a dialogue with the youth and teenagers in order to have a better understanding about cancer as it relates to them. We want more than awareness. We want a connection. This is an event by the community for the community, and we encourage more people to get involved.
“A lot of the communities I visit are not aware of what cancer is, let alone what to look out for. So I go around giving talks about coming of age and looking out for any lumps. The response since I started the NPO has been staggering, and in the upcoming event I’m hoping more residents will come out and support the day,” she said.
Campos is also urging residents to bring their unwanted and incorrectly fitted bras which are also donated to disadvantage communities. There will be a box available on the day.
Natalie Healy, who won last year’s Miss Flag pageant, said the fundraiser took on personal significance after her father was re-diagnosed with prostrate cancer.
“Everyone has been touched, or knows someone who has or had cancer; it’s a disease that doesn’t discriminate. This is a cause very close to my heart and I want to do anything I can do to raise awareness and funds in aid of cancer research and hopefully finding a cure,” Healey said.
- The Mr and Little Miss Flag Animal Farm Pageant fund raiser takes place on Saturday, 29 August. The competition starts at 10:30 and the entry is R180 and animal food for the Flag Animal Farm (bird, dog, cat, horse and rabbit). The dress up theme is farm cowboy, rodeo and cowgirls. The competition is open from children as young as 3 up to 25 years old may enter directly via email to pincmodels@pinc.org.za or contact Lisa Campos on 073 953 6771. Entries close on 21 August and late entries can be received on the day of the pageant at a cost of R200 at the farm.
