Even those of us who aren’t survivors of breast cancer know someone who has suffered, whether this be a friend, mother, daughter. For this reason, women from all walks of life who gathered at the International Women’s Day charity luncheon organised by the Lemnian Community of Victoria’s Ladies Committee laughed, shed a tear and got a chance to be informed about breast cancer.
Guests at the Merrimu Reception Hall numbered 200 women, who had the opportunity to ponder the disease and how it has developed through time, while bonding over good food and great company.
They enjoyed talks by investment banker-cum-chef/cook book writer Kathy Tsaples and Dr Helen Kavnoudias that provided food for thought and messages of hope.
Organiser Roula Patselias was pleased with the results. “Around 60 per cent of our guests were Lemnian, whereas 40 per cent were of other backgrounds and that is a huge success as it means that we are open and getting our message out there,” she said.
“We had women from the broader Greek community attend and pledge their support for all our future events, and women that would like to become sponsors for our future events.”
All up, $3,000 was raised in donations that will be given to the McGrath Foundation for Breast Cancer. More importantly, a life or two may have been saved as guest speakers urged women to take care of themselves and get the relevant screenings to ensure that they remain healthy.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Ms Patselias is already thinking of the next steps. “The aim of our Ladies Committee is to bring all generations of women together by offering them a platform of social activities, educational seminars and philanthropic support where needed,” she said.
“Another one of our goals is to develop a support network for our youth by aligning them with many of our professional women who will mentor them and help them achieve their career goals.”
Even those of us who aren’t survivors of breast cancer know someone who has suffered, whether this be a friend, mother, daughter. For this reason, women from all walks of life who gathered at the International Women’s Day charity luncheon organised by the Lemnian Community of Victoria’s Ladies Committee laughed, shed a tear and got a chance to be informed about breast cancer. Guests at the Merrimu Reception Hall numbered 200 women, who had the opportunity to ponder the disease and how it has developed through time, while bonding over good food and great company. They enjoyed talks by investment banker-cum-chef/cook book writer Kathy Tsaples and Dr Helen Kavnoudias that provided food for thought and messages of hope. Photo: Supplied
And just in case you missed out, enjoy this video of the talks: