Dance for cancer fundraising success

The Stars of Narrabri Dance for Cancer has been declared a success after dancers raised more than $42,000 for the Cancer Council.

More money will be added to that tally from ticket sales, a well-supported auction and other areas.

Hundreds of people packed The Crossing Theatre auditorium for a night of spectacular dancing and fundraising for an important cause.

Justin Smith officiated as master-of-ceremonies at Saturday night’s event and welcomed the Cancer Council’s accommodation and support services coordinator, Shaen Fraser, to address the crowd about the organisation.

Mrs Fraser told of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the Cancer Council’s services and fundraising efforts.

“We went into survival mode and immediately worked on how we could provide these services in a COVID safe way,” she said.

While the pandemic has proved challenging for the organisation, she praised the ongoing support for the Cancer Council across NSW.

“Since the start of the pandemic we have been continually blown away by the support that has been showed to our cause either in a fundraising capacity or for our support services and it is communities such as yours that has enabled us to start to come out the other side of the COVID curve ball that was thrown at us,” she said.

“This support has enabled the Narrabri Shire community to access the services they have needed especially for accommodation services at Inala House in Tamworth.”

In the last 10 months, 19 Narrabri Shire patients have utilised 143 nights accommodation valued at $22,418 at zero cost to those patients.

“And that is just a portion of the 889 nights valued at $104,354 that has been provided to residents across the North West New England areas in the last 10 months – regional cancer patients and their carers accessing local support services because of money raised locally in our regional communities,” Mrs Fraser said.