Help knock cancer for six

The Adelaide Strikers, together with People’s Choice, are hoping to raise $50,000 for Cancer Council SA’s new building at their first home game this Thursday night.

The funds will go specifically towards the centre’s dedicated Sports Room which will include memorabilia, a pool table and shared spaces for guests undergoing cancer treatment to help them relax and unwind.

Adelaide Strikers fans can help raise the money by purchasing $2 tickets in the People’s Choice Community Lottery. Not only will the funds raised go directly to Cancer Council SA, purchasers will also be in the running for $300,000 worth of prizes.

The fundraiser continues Adelaide-based People’s Choice’s longstanding support of Cancer Council SA and sponsorship of the Adelaide Strikers.

Combining cancer research, prevention, and support services alongside 120 rooms of supportive accommodation, the Cancer Council’s new building will be the state’s first, integrated cancer centre, creating a home for every South Australian impacted by cancer.

Cancer Council SA Chief Executive Kerry Rowlands says areas like the sports room help to create a home away from home for those who need it most.

“We know that being away from family, friends and loved ones while undergoing cancer treatment can be incredibly isolating,” she said.

“Through shared communal spaces like the Sports Room, we can create a safe space where guests can interact with each other and share stories in a supportive environment.”

“The conversations while watching the cricket or over a game of pool can help guests feel less alone in their experience, which is an incredibly powerful thing.”

Letchemi Pillai from Waikerie, together with her husband Swee Poh, have been staying at Cancer Council’s Lodges since 2009. Letchemi has undergone treatment for breast and stomach cancer, with her husband Swee Poh recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.

For Letchemi, the lodges provided her and Swee Poh with more than just a place to sleep in. They have become a second home.

“Being able to meet and have conversations with people who are going through the same experience really does make you feel less alone. We think of the Lodges as a safe space, a place of comfort, especially when we have to be away from family, friends and loved ones.

“There is something really special about the community that you meet when staying at the Lodges. I like to say that we’re all in the same storm, all trying to get to the same port,” she said.

$2 tickets to the People’s Choice Community Lottery will be on sale throughout the game via QR codes on all game day screens.

South Australians can also show their support by purchasing tickets online via the fundraising page here.

Through long-term support from the People’s Choice Community Lottery, People’s Choice Undies Run and events and fundraisers, nearly $1 million has been raised for Cancer Council SA.