Look Good Feel Better New Zealand (LGFB), one of the three beneficiaries of Dry July NZ 2023, will see a 42% increase in the number of its free classes for cancer patients and their families this year, thanks in part to the fundraising challenge.
LGFB general manager Clare O’Higgins told Insurance Business: “Our first grant application was in 2016, and we have successfully always had a part in terms of funds that have come through since then. Dry July funding from 2022 went into 38 new on-demand videos. So, you can go to our website and you can watch, you can play back, and they’re all practical tips and tools for you or your family who may be going through treatment.
“We now also have a range of podcasts called Cancer Conversations. This means that, in the privacy of the podcasts, you’re able to listen to advice from professionals and those who have actually gone through treatment, including one recently about navigating going back to work following treatment and the impact that that can have.”
Aside from the online services which Dry July helps to fund, LGFB continues to hold in-person sessions across the charity’s 41 centres nationwide. According to O’Higgins, more than 380 LGFB classes (in-person and online) will be available to anyone with any cancer this calendar year.
O’Higgins attributed LGFB’s growth to people’s generosity.
“We know that every small contribution [to Dry July] makes a big difference,” the general manager told Insurance Business. “I think that’s the thing – the many small contributions will make an enormous difference to the wellbeing of the Look Good Feel Better services, and our services all remain free. That’s what’s really important for Look Good Feel Better.
“Our aim is to ensure that our services are free and accessible to anyone at any time. And we’ve found as well that people are dipping into more of our services, so there is a more frequent demand. And if someone today can go, ‘I can challenge myself and ask my friends and family to support me going dry’, they’re actually making sure that someone tomorrow can avail themselves of those services.”
Also benefitting from Dry July NZ 2023 are Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ and PINC & STEEL NZ. The Dry July campaign started in Australia in 2008 before reaching Kiwi shores in 2012.
“What Dry July has done for Look Good Feel Better is allow us to continue to evolve our programme as our participants have asked,” said O’Higgins, whose camp is also keen to collaborate with insurance companies that have access to people who can benefit from LGFB’s services. “Everything that we do is participant-led, and that’s really important, too.
“It really is a key campaign for many in New Zealand. It is the generosity of individuals that help us to expand our services. So, if you can find your ‘why’ to give up for July, Look Good and the other beneficiaries are here to help you. Please think about it, because every day 71 New Zealanders receive the news that they’ve been diagnosed with cancer.”
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