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Sunflower Fund launches 'Tope' to help fight leukaemia

Sunflower fund

The Sunflower Fund have been keeping a HUGE secret – and now the secret’s out! You can help celebrate our new signature campaign, Sunflower Day, on 16 September by purchasing your Tube of Hope-Tope (like a bandana) from Pick n Pay or one of the Fund’s retail partners.

What is the Sunflower Fund?

The Sunflower Fund aims to educate and recruit a viable source of well informed, potential bone marrow stem cell donors who are ethnically diverse, in an effort to save the lives of those needing a transplant when suffering from leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders.

It also strives to maintain the associated donor records of the South African Bone Marrow Registry to worldwide standards.

But what is a Tope, I hear you ask? “Well,” says The Sunflower Fund’s CEO, Alana James, “It’s an affordable, multipurpose article of clothing that can be worn as a headband, mask, scarf, cap or arm-band.”

Read: Stem cell donation a safe and rewarding

Broadly versatile, it may be used in a wide variety of sports or outdoor activities and will be available in six eye-catching colours. The Tope offers practical functionality for the entire family and gives wearers the opportunity to show their support for this important cause!

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The Tope will be available in small (R20.00 incl. VAT) and large (R25.00 incl. VAT) and is on sale from August at Pick n Pay stores nationwide, Round Table, selected ICPA Pharmacies and the online store, Zando.

Enamoured with the Tope

Tina Botha, Founder Patron of the Fund said, “I am delighted to see that The Sunflower Fund continues its vital work. I am also excited at the prospect of a new signature campaign, in the form of Sunflower Day – we have remained true to our roots, but have also had the opportunity to move with the times by introducing the Tope – I hope that our loyal supporters are as enamoured with the Tope as we are and encourage the public to buy them now!”

Topes are also integral to The Sunflower Fund’s inaugural schools competition.

Read: URGENT need for more bone marrow donors in SA

“For the first time ever, The Sunflower Fund is offering a first prize to the value of R20,000 to the school that shows the greatest Sunflower spirit on Sunflower Day – which takes place on Friday, 16 September 2016.

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“Take photos of your class – or even your whole school – doing something creative with the Topes, upload them to The Sunflower Fund’s Facebook Page – Sunflower Day Schools Competition – Gallery, and get your family and friends ‘liking’ your entries,” said James.

‘Out with the old and in with the new’

She added that the winning school would receive a donation of goods of the school’s choice, to the value of R20,000. The second prize is goods to the value of R10,000 and a third prize to the value of R5,000. These prizes have been sponsored by the SABC Foundation.

It has definitely been a case of ‘out with the old and in with the new’, with the Fund’s new signature campaign, Sunflower Day replacing Bandana Day that had previously taken place during October.

For more information or to register as a stem cell donor, please contact The Sunflower Fund on toll-free number: 0800 12 10 82 or to learn more about Sunflower Day, visit: www.sunflowerfund.org.za/sunflower-day-2016/

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