Jeans for Genes is bringing together competing fashion retailers to support the Children’s Medical Research Institute and its mission to cure sick children.
Everyone is different, but what everyone can agree on is joining the fight to help cure children’s genetic diseases. This Jeans for Genes, competing retailers are banding together to support Children’s Medical Research Institute and help find cures for the 1 in 20 Aussie kids who face a birth defect or genetic disease like cancer, cystic fibrosis, or life-threatening metabolic disorders.
Jeanswest is the premier partner leading the charge. General manager, Anne Natale, has pledged to raise $125,000 through sales of product, in store donations, and staff fundraising initiatives.
Anne says: “Retailers have been doing it tough, but these kids have it tougher. When you think about what they and their families are going through, it feels good to do whatever we can to help. It inspires my staff and keeps us all going. It’s when things are hard that you need to band together and help one another.”
Kids like Harrison need their help. Parents, Naomi and Adam, were shocked when their confident young toddler suddenly stopped walking one day – they never imagined the nightmare that would follow and hearing the words that every parent dreads. Cancer. His was unique and genetic testing was needed to reveal Harrison had acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
“The time the doctors took to get it right was really important,” says Adam. “Because we got the right treatment for Harrison, and it worked. Had this information not been known and we had started on a different treatment plan – who knows -he might not be here today.”
Within days of starting treatment, to his parent’s shock, Harrison started walking again. This is why research is crucial. Kids should be outside playing their friends rather than getting their next dose of chemotherapy or taking dozens of medications.
Lowes has also joined the Retail Alliance as another top tier partner, pledging to raise $75,000. A long-time supporter of Children’s Medical Research Institute, Lowes owner, Linda Penn, says: “We’ve supported this vital cause since 1998, and when we heard about the Retail Alliance, we wanted to be a big part of it.”
Other top retailers who have pledged to raise significant funds for research through this Alliance are SEED, Commonry, and Unison.
This year Jeans for Genes Day will be marked on Friday, June 2 but the Alliance promotions will be held mainly throughout the month of August.
The Retail Alliance is also getting support from Dave String! Advertising, Kepler Analytics, Ultimate Edge Communications and Shopper Media. They are helping to get the word out in shopping centres and stores around the country, encouraging the public to use their purchasing power to support Jeans for Genes and medical research.
Everyone is working together so Harrison and millions more kids like him can go back to being kids. Together, we can all help make the incurable, curable.