Now in its 29th year, Canteen’s iconic National Bandanna Day has so far raised over $35 million to support young people impacted by cancer.
“Every single day more than 60 young people aged between 12 to 25 will face cancer in one way or another,” says Canteen CEO Peter Orchard, “This could be through their own diagnosis or that of a close family member.”
“Canteen provides young people with a supportive outlet that helps them explore and deal with their feelings about cancer, connect with others going through a similar experience, as well as providing specialist, youth-specific treatment for young people dealing with their own diagnosis.”
This year, 3255 champions sold bandannas or took on a hair dare as part of National Bandanna Day. This tremendous effort helped Canteen to raise over $720,000 to provide counselling sessions, peer support programs and other specialist services to young Aussies following a cancer diagnosis.
We thank each and every person who fundraised, donated or purchased a bandanna this year. With your support, we can help ensure that young people don't have to experience cancer alone.
An extra special shout out goes to this year’s top fundraisers. Taryn Hilan from NSW shaved her head raising $38,000 and Alicia Bin Hitam from WA (pictured) also braved the shave and raised nearly $24,000! These challenges were huge transformations and we are humbled that these champions chose to dedicate this challenge to raising funds for Canteen.
National Bandanna Day 2023 would not have been possible without the generous support of our Principal Bandanna Day partner, Pillow Talk, who generously donated $100,000 and designed two exclusive bandannas as part of this year’s campaign.
In addition, Pillow Talk generously donated ‘comfort makeovers’ to ten Canteen counselling rooms across the country, refreshing these spaces with cosy blankets, throws, pillow and cushions to help young people and their families feel more at ease during counselling sessions.
The collective funds raised from Bandanna Day go directly towards supporting young people like Belle, our official Bandanna Day youth ambassador, who was diagnosed with ovarian germ cell cancer in 2015 at the age of just 11.
Belle joined Canteen in 2016 and through participation in recreation days, retreats and our Youth Leadership program has connected with and empowered other young people who share similar cancer experiences.
Belle says, “It’s thanks to the generosity of people like you that Canteen’s much-needed services can support people like me who have been impacted by cancer. We are grateful to have people like you in our corner.”
Visit our Bandanna Day website to find out more about pre-registering for 2024 or to make a donation to help young Aussies impacted by cancer.
Thank you again to all our amazing supporters for National Bandanna Day 2023 – we look forward to having you onboard for our 30th anniversary year in 2024!
