Staff at a Hunter Valley coal mine has raised $10,000 to help the Mark Hughes Foundation (MHF) to continue its fight against brain cancer.
Hunter Valley Operations’ (HVO) General Manager, Dave Foster presented the funds on behalf of the mine’s staff to MHF Co-Founder, Mark Hughes at a training day at the Singleton Civic Centre on 21 April.
Dave said the money had been raised by staff purchasing hard hats with a specially designed logo.
He said with several members of the HVO workforce having a personal experience with brain cancer, the team wanted to do something practical and visible onsite to support them and others.
“While the HVO workforce has bought MHF beanies, these can’t always be worn on-site, so we came up with the hard hat idea,” Dave said.
“The project is about raising much-needed funds but also raising awareness about brain cancer and the work of the Mark Hughes Foundation with our staff and contractors.”
Mark said the money will go towards raising awareness about brain cancer, funding innovative research and providing support to people impacted by brain cancer and their families.
He said alarmingly very little is known about brain cancer, its causes or how it can be best treated.
“We’re so grateful for the support from HVO and its staff,” Mark said.
“Support like this helps us to fund research by HMRI and other national researchers, and to keep our nurses in the community to help families when they are in the toughest time of their life.
“We are hoping the community will consider supporting our work again this year through our Beanies for Brain Cancer campaign, which includes the NRL Beanie for Brain Cancer Round between 29 June and 2 July.”
Since Mark and Kirralee Hughes founded MHF in 2013, following Mark’s diagnosis with brain cancer, it has raised more than $24 million.
Around 1,200 Australians die from brain cancer each year. Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in children, and adults aged under 40 in Australia. Survival rates have only increased by 1 per cent in the past 30 years.
MHF is one of the charities and causes HVO and its staff support in addition to those supported through its bi-annual community grants, charity truck tray partnerships and workplace giving programs.
