Celebs again support premier Coast event
August 21, 2012
It’s almost time for the 2012 Wishlist Spring Carnival Gala lunch which will once again see a number of celebrities roll into town to support one of the Coast’s premier fundraising events at the Palmer Coolum Resort on September 21.
The event will be hosted by two of television’s most popular personalities Natalie Barr and Mark ‘Berretts’ Berretta from Seven’s Sunrise with this year’s line-up also including a performance by Mahalia Barnes, daughter of Australian rock legend, Jimmy Barnes and recent contestant on ‘The Voice’.
The event which is sponsored by Coastline BMW amongst others, was oversubscribed before ticket sales opened with over 550 local business professionals and local celebrities set to raise funds to purchase a $118,200 Prostate Biopsy Ultrasound for the Sunshine Coast.
Wishlist Manager, Lisa Rowe says this is a much needed piece of equipment that will significantly improve the experience for Sunshine Coast men diagnosed with prostate cancer. 3,300 men in Australia die of prostate cancer every year, which is equivalent to the number of women who die from breast cancer annually.
“One in nine Australian men are expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime so when we’re talking about numbers on the Coast, there will unfortunately be many locals who will need this procedure and can benefit from this machine,” said Lisa.
“Bringing this equipment to the Coast will significantly streamline the diagnoses and treatment capabilities available to prostate cancer patients locally. Currently there is no dedicated ultrasound for prostrate biopsies in an outpatient setting on the Coast, meaning much longer waiting lists and more trips to the hospital are required before an accurate diagnosis is possible. As you can imagine, waiting for diagnosis and subsequent treatment due to lack of resources impacts not only on patients’ physical wellbeing, but also their psychological state of mind.”
“Time and time again the incredible generosity of the guests at the Spring Carnival Gala event exceeds all our expectations and we are very grateful to Travis Schultz, the chair of the organising committee and his team as they pull together one of the most popular and well-supported charity events on the Coast.”
Last year’s event saw guests raise over $115K to fund programs offered by the Sunshine Coast Koping Network (SCKoping) for Sunshine Coast children who are affected by a parent or sibling who has a mental health or drug and alcohol condition.
This year’s major auction items are all valued at over $5,000 and include paintings by renowned local artists Kendall and Raelene Hall, a luxurious Sea Temple vacation, various advertising packages from the Sunshine Coast Daily and Hot 91.1 and tickets to the Poole Group Conference in Vanuatu amongst others.
“Once again most of our Table Ambassadors and their guests were ready to sign up for this year straight after last year’s event which is a fantastic position to be in and we are really grateful for their support,” said Travis Schultz, managing partner at Schultz Toomey O’Brien Lawyers.
“Both Nat Barr and Berretts have hosted before so it’s a real compliment that they both wanted to come back and join us again this year. This lunch enables us to really make a real difference to the lives of Sunshine Coast locals and we couldn’t do it without the fantastic support of our sponsors, those donating auction items and our guests who support us so generously on the day.”
For more information, please visit www.wishlist.org.au.
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