General News
30 July, 2024
Rip out your denim for Jeans for Genes this Friday!
Local efforts continue to support Jeans for Genes, a long-running charity fundraising effort.
Gilgandra will be host to a market fundraiser on August 2 for Jeans for Genes, as part of the ongoing efforts of local community members to support the charity.
The fundraiser will involve a stall along Miller Street and at Carlos IGA.
A raffle will be held, and cupcakes made by Lynne Ridges will be on sale.
All local schools are organised to participate in raising awareness and their own donation drives.
Since 1994, the Jeans for Genes campaign has been directly funding paediatric genetic research by the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), dedicated to improving the health of children suffering from birth defects, genetic diseases, and cancer.
One in 20 children face a birth defect or genetic disease, and 160,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer – a leading cause of death in children aged four to fourteen - every year.
Local long-time supporter of Jeans for Genes and the CMRI Jenny Johnston has spent her time this year organising a recycling drive through Riley’s Recycling Return and Earn to raise charity funds.
“All up, we’ve raised nearly $10,000 doing recycling bottles these past 12 months,” Jenny said.
“We’ve had a wonderful response to our recycling, and so many locals supporting [our efforts].”
Jenny and her team collect the recycling from around town and must sort through it by hand.
They count their collection, and sort it out into categories such as glass and plastics.
“Our fundraising has been going on throughout the year with our recycling and July meat raffles on Fridays at the Royal Hotel.”
Jenny added that, through the Royal Hotel, they had raised around $5000 in the past 12 months, and they were one of the biggest sponsors of Jeans for Genes.
The Gilgandra Services Club, one of the original sponsors of Jenny and Jeans for Genes, will be contributing their annual donation and holding a fundraiser event.
Jenny and her team have been supporting the CMRI for the past 23 years in and around the Gilgandra community.
Over this time, they have raised over $130,000.
Jenny aims to raise $25,000 this year to push their total over the $150,000 milestone.
All the funds they raise go directly to the CMRI.
Schools have also been greatly involved in organising their own fundraising efforts.
“We’ve educated over these last 23 years our children about children with genetic diseases and cancer that impact their lives.
“They miss a lot of school, they miss out on important childhood moments, they miss out on making friends and learning.
“We’d never get any further towards helping these kids if we didn’t have continuous research.
“We need it to find new ways forward, new cures. We’re on the verge of so much more, but it all costs money.”
Jenny urged members of the Gilgandra community to come out and continue to support Jeans for Genes by getting involved in the recycling drive and the market stall on August 2.
“It’s such a worthy cause to be involved in.”
