Expats collect record sum to fight breast cancer

13 March 2006

AMSTERDAM — The American Women’s Club of The Hague (AWC) raised a record EUR 250,000 during its fourth annual Pink Gala charity event on Saturday.

The money goes to organisations and programmes involved in research, education and advocacy to fight breast cancer in The Netherlands. Breast cancer is the biggest killer of Dutch women aged 35 to 50. One in nine women develop breast cancer and 35 percent of these die from the condition.

The AWC, founded in 1930, has played a proactive role in breast cancer research and advocacy over the past four years. To date it has raised a total of EUR 530,000 thanks to donations from individuals and a host of companies, including Siemens, UPC, ABN AMRO, AEGON, Fortis Bank, Rabobank, ING, Roche, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and many others.

Health Minister Hans Hoogervorst, his wife and artist Marisa Polin, Environment Minister Sybille Dekker and Hague Mayor Wim Deetman were the guests of honour at this year’s Pink Ribbon Gala. It was also the first public engagement for new US Ambassador Roland E. Arnall and his wife Dawn.

More than 400 other guests, including captains of industry, medical specialists and Dutch celebrities, attended the event at the Grote Kerk in The Hague for a special exhibition organised by Marisa Polin.

Polin brought 13 artists together and asked them to make artworks relevant to the theme “See me, feel me, heal me”. The resulting paintings, photographs, images and sketches are all intended to draw attention to breast cancer.

Sale of the artworks during Saturday’s event significantly contributed to the record sum raised. The exhibition can be viewed at the Koorenhuis in The Hague from 28 March until 13 April.

“This illness does not differentiate on the basis of nationality,” co-organiser of the event Pamela Musselman said. “The AWC Pink Gala offers foreigners the possibility to fight alongside Dutch people for a good aim.”

Donations can still be made via American Women’s Club, ABN AMRO: 43.19.54.100. The club is also holding the fourth “Walk for Women” on 1 October during Breast Cancer Month.

Click here for more information on the gala.

Subject: Dutch news