Community News

Rotary clubs support Our House Hardship Fund

Clarence Valley Rotary Clubs together with other Rotary Clubs in District 9640 have presented a cheque for $44,800 to Lismore’s Our House Hardship Fund. Our House is a joint project by Northern Rivers Community Cancer Foundation (NRCCF) and Our Kids [http://ourkids.org.au/] which assists cancer patients receiving care at the Cancer Unit in Lismore and their families, with accommodation. The money which was donated by Rotary was derived from Bowelscan activities, over many years, in the Tweed, Brunswick, Richmond and Clarence Valley and from Tenterfield Shire. The Rotary Bowelscan project commenced in Lismore in 1982 and wound up after last year after the Federal Government had introduced a targeted screening program across Australia. In the early years, Rotary members sold kits to the public from street stalls, outside pharmacies, shopping centres etc. Bowelscan was set up purely as an awareness program (as opposed to a screening program) and over the life of the project, many Australians owe their lives to this very simple process. In the last 20 years around 12,000 bowel scan kits were sold in the Lower Clarence with an outcome of 75 positive bowel cancer results. Bowelscan was never set up to make money but like any activity it is inevitable that small surpluses would be generated. The surplus money was to be donated to a “cancer related entity” and thus Rotary decided to make that donation to Our House. Rotary hopes that the donation will go to assist those within the community, that struggle to meet the costs associated with their condition. Rotary acknowledges the great work that the staff and volunteers do at Our House and the comfort and support that they give those patients, residents, family and friends.