Trees wrapped in pink fabric have been spotted across the country. The visual statements bring a message of hope for many cancer survivors.
Every year during October, numerous towns countrywide use hundreds of metres of pink material to transform their trees into pink masterpieces.
This year, trees have been transformed into pink statements, also marking the 12th year of the Pink Trees for Pauline campaign which is making a difference in communities affected by cancer in South Africa.
In 2012, the non-profit company, Pink Trees for Pauline, was founded, and a woman’s dream became a larger-than-life project.
Carol-Ann van Jaarsveld lost her mother and her grandmother, both named Pauline, to cancer. A dream was born to communicate the legacy of the women, and Van Jaarsveld turned it into an epic tale of hope, encouragement and belonging.
The Pink Trees for Pauline initiative was born in her hometown of Graaff-Reinet, where all the trees along the main roads were wrapped in pink material to raise cancer awareness, inspire hope and bring the initiative to communities, recognising that many people share in this story with their own “Pauline” in their respective families.
Van Jaarsveld, together with breast cancer survivor Adri Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen and educational psychologist Dr Pam Kerr founded the organisation, Pink Trees for Pauline.
Participants take to the streets, wrapping the trees outside their offices, schools and public spaces with pink fabric. The attention is focused on cancer care and cancer awareness in a visually stimulating way.
Material to wrap trees can be bought for a minimum donation of R30. The “profit” is donated to Pink Trees for Pauline, which redirects the funds to those in need in the town where it was generated. The fabric is donated to other charities afterwards. Since its inception, more than 140 towns have participated in the colourful initiative, with more than 250km of pink material sold.
Managing director of Pink Trees for Pauline Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen said: “Making a difference in cancer communities across the country has been our core mission since our inception in 2012.
“With the added assistance of organisations, including the Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) over the past six years, we are able to raise more funds for care and support programmes. It’s a real testimony to the South African spirit of resilience, strength, and tenacity.”
Gerda Strauss, of Cansa, said it used the money generated mostly to empower families to take care of palliative patients at home, to buy medical equipment and supply food parcels to needy patients identified by social workers.
Juliete Brendan Powell said Glenwood House school in George ran an annual campaign to raise awareness and funds for cancer.
“Our Pink Week runs in October and has become a meaningful annual event at our school. During Pink Week, our school turns pink with banners, posters and pink fabric.
“This all started about 10 years ago.
We heard about Pink Trees for Pauline and what they do to raise funds and support those battling cancer. We just loved the idea of turning our school pink and standing with them in support of cancer patients. We bought our first fabric from them that year, and the event has grown from strength to strength every year since then.
“Each year we manage to collect more, raise awareness and do more to make a difference in patients’ lives.”
“During Pink Week ,we wrap trees and buildings in pink, wear pink accessories with our uniform and write with pink pens in our books. We also have guest speakers who address our school to keep us informed and up to date with relevant information and developments. As a school, we are proud to partner with Pink Trees for Pauline and look forward to raising both awareness and funds for many years to come,” Powell said.
Apart from buying the pink material for trees this month, the public can also buy colourful headscarves as part of the #doekwithadifference campaign.
For more information, visit: https://pinktrees.co.za/ or contact Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen on 082 4606 386 or adri@pinktrees.co.za
To order your #doekwithadifference, contact your nearest Cansa Care Centre or email info@cansa.org.za
Cape Times