‘Paint’ Saint Francis Pink: decorate a tree
If you’ve seen the pink trees in St Francis they are in aid of St Francis Hospice in Humansdorp, which cares for those suffering from cancer.
Pink Trees for Pauline is a charity with a unique approach. Its purpose is to create awareness and raise money for those afflicted with cancer in a uniquely inspired way … by turning towns pink!
The Chatterbox Book Club sponsored the first pink tree in St Francis Bay and all the communities in St Francis are invited to ‘paint’ the town and area pink as it were. There are two pink trees in St Francis Bay already and two Village shops have also gone pink!
According to the official website, in 2012 Carol-ann van Jaarsveld, together with Adri van Nieuwenhuizen, – a breast cancer survivor and Dr Pam Kerr, an Educational Psycologist, foundedPink Trees for Pauline, a non-profit company that unites people, businesses and towns around the world for a single day each year in order to improve the lives of those living with cancer for far, far longer.
Carol-ann lost both her mother and grandmother to cancer. Both women were named Pauline and the name has stuck.
Tomorrow, 18 October, is the official Pink Trees for Pauline day. In Graaf Reinet where the event started and at Plett and numerous other towns around South Africa communities are celebrating this special day tomorrow by holding mini festivals. Graaff Reinet painted the whole town pink last year and raised over R210 000 from its festival and pink trees! Towns challenge each other to see who can raise the most.
This is not just a fund raising initiative but a visual statement on a grand scale, a united front against cancer but also enabling everyone in the vicinity to see a tree beautifully decorated in pink, plus creating awareness and funds in order to improve the lives of those affected by the disease.
Members of the public and businesses alike are invited to donate money to purchase sections of pink fabric, which are used to wrap the trees that line their streets and public areas.
Obviously, the more people that get involved, the greater the impact. For this reason, the St Francis communities are encouraged to become involved.
Material to wrap your trees can be bought for a minimum donation of R20 per meter. Businesses or individuals also have the option of sponsoring material to be used in less privileged areas as well as public spaces in order to make sure that entire communities can be involved – not just those with the means. There’s no limit to the amount of material you can buy or the amount you’d like to sponsor.
So please help. Any donation big or small is welcome.