East Coast Radio’s weekday jock, Abi Ray, is staying true to her on-air promise to The Pink Drive Initiative and will be sporting pink swimming attire in this year’s aQuelle Midmar Mile, on the weekend of 9 and 10 February.
After an interview with Cara Breedt, Marketing Manager of The Pink Drive in October last year, Abi, a passionate swimmer, was so moved that she is putting her efforts behind the campaign in the hopes of encouraging listeners and sponsors to come on board. She announced that she will swim the Midmar Mile twice this year, if she succeeds in raising over R20 000.
“I am feeling great about this year’s aQuelle Midmar Mile,” says Abi. “This year my swimming has definitely reached all kinds of exciting levels and I’m hoping people get behind me. The fact that I have the platform to allow my voice to be heard for such a worthy cause is such a bonus. I feel blessed that I can do this.”
The Pink Drive is widely recognised, not only by its fluorescent choice in campaign colour, but also through the extensive coverage that it gains through its involvement in great sporting events. This is the first time that the campaign is moving into the open waters of Midmar Dam and it is calling swimmers of all ages, men and women, to swim in pink.
Running this programme clearly does not come with a small price tag. And what better platform to create awareness and to raise funds for the campaign than the world’s largest open water race? For R300, all swimmers will receive a goodie bag filled with a fabulous pink costume, pink towel, wetpack, sun block, energy bars, water bottle and much more.
The Pink Drive, which aims to enable all communities in South Africa to have accessible education, physical examinations and learn basic breast self-examinations, comprises of two breast examination mobile trucks and three educational cars. This convoy of vehicles runs every weekday and travels into various communities and work as a testing and cancer educational unit with a strong message about the benefits of early detection. It has reached over 600 000 women, to date.
“For the East Coasters that are swimming this year, I encourage them to swim for The Pink Drive. What they do to educate women about breast cancer is invaluable, the actual mammograms and clinical breast examinations even more so. This truly is a worthy cause,” says Abi.
To join Abi in her quest to raise money for this worthy cause, enter the Pink Drive swimming challenge by visiting the Pink Drive website (www.pinkdrive.co.za) after you have registered on the Midmar Mile website. However, if swimming is really not your forte and you prefer to keep your feet on dry land, all donations for this commendable cause are welcome and appreciated.
Click here to make your donation today.