So Brave 2020 Annual Report

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A N N U A L R E P O R T

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
F R O M T H E F O U N D E R A N D M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R 3
I N T R O D U C I N G | T H E B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S 6
F R O M T H E C H A I R 1 0
L O O K I N G B A C K | L E T T E R S O F L O V E 1 2
L O O K I N G B A C K | B R A V E F A C E S 1 3
L O O K I N G B A C K | M E : W I T H O U T R E S E R V A T I O N 1 4
L O O K I N G B A C K | 5 Y E A R S B R A V E R 1 5
L O O K I N G B A C K | B R A V E | Y O U 1 6
F R O M T H E B R A V E | Y O U P R E S I D E N T 1 8
F I N A N C I A L S 2 1
C L O S I N G 2 4
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R A C H E L L E P A N I T Z
F R O M T H E F O U N D E R A N D M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R
As I write this, we have seen one of the most incredible years on record - and while there's been
so much heartache, there's also much to be grateful for - even as our annual So Brave Calendar of
which we have proudly produced with young breast cancer survivors across Australia hasn't
been able to proceed this year. It's disappointing, it's really really not how we planned this year
to be. But, we're very grateful that this has given us time and space as an organisation to reflect
and recommit to our mission - to educate, to empower and to fund research to change the
conversation for young women in Australia. In its stead, we released a special edition of the
So Brave Calendar, published not one but two incredible resources for young women - first a
Letters of Love to our new Breast Friends - the stories and real experiences of breast cancer from
15 courageous young women and second a book/course/community empowering and educating
young women - Me: Without Reservations - a young woman's guide to bravery and resilience. We
kept ourselves busy doing the things we've been wanting to do for years and were grateful for all
who contributed to our new ventures!
We've continued to work with our So Brave Model Ambassador candidates throughout this trying
time, including the loss of one of our beautiful young ladies - Belinda, we hope to carry on your
legacy and make you proud by replicating the grace and humility you exemplified. Unfortunately
we were never able to do her bodypainting day due to the current circumstances. However, she is
a very valued member of our community and as we are very thankful to Kyla Morgan for her
beautiful tribute painting in what would have been her Calendar month - November in our special
edition of the 2021 So Brave Calendar.
This year has seen some beautiful changes in our organisation - from the first book Letters of
Love to our new Breast Friends - published earlier this year, ready to uplift and support young
women, their friends and family as they go through their own diagnosis. We were so very
humbled by the feedback, including the random act of kindness from young breast cancer
survivor Rachel and her family, donating 10 copies to their local breast care nurse for other young
women. We were blessed to also share copies of Letters of Love to our new Breast Friends with
none other than Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess and Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert - very
very cool!
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This year has also been a great year of championing change for the young women we aim to
educate - resulting in the formation of our proudest new addition - Brave | You - So Brave's Young
Women's Advisory Committee. These young women - aged 15-25 - are passionate about changing
the breast awareness knowledge of their peers and in building self-advocacy skills across a
range of health and life issues. We're so excited about this development in the youngest
members of our So Brave community!
Me: Without Reservation - book, course, community - came about as a result of this shift to
making sure there are resources, access to experts and a community to support young women
with all the facets of life. There is so much pressure put on young women, they're expected to
decide on what your whole life will look like when they're still so young. So it's easy to see how
young women may doubt themselves, without the life experience to back and support them.
We're very excited to share this book/course/calendar/community and connect experts to
provide these tools and knowledge to our next generation.
This is also the year we celebrated 5 years of working with young women. It's an incredible feat
and one I and the whole team are so very proud of - I am often reminded of one of my favourite
quotes from Margaret Mead - Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has. From thought to concept, to
leading the change - thank you for joining us over the past 5 years - here's to many many more!
Now more than ever, we are determined to inform, empower and pass down vital health
advocacy skills to the next generation and join with you to be those thoughtful committed
citizens looking to change the world - thank you again for your continued support!
Take care everyone and stay safe.
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So Brave was founded on inspired leadership and a
vision to reduce the impact and incidence of breast
cancer for young women and ultimately saved lives.
S A M A N T H A K L I N T W O R T H
N o n - E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r
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I N T R O D U C I N G
T H E B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S
Rachelle Panitz
Founder and Managing Director
Rachelle, after her own breast cancer diagnosis in January 2014, and like all our So Brave Model Ambassadors,
found it very difficult as a young woman diagnosed with breast cancer. Following nearly 18 months of treatment
– surgery, chemo, radiation, immunotherapy and hormone therapy, Rachelle wanted to raise awareness and
funds, in the hope of making an easier path for the almost 1,000 young women under 40 years of age that are
diagnosed with breast cancer in Australia each year.
So Brave’s first calendar was delivered in 2016, and in 2017, her small private undertaking transformed into an
Australian Charity, registered nationwide. Rachelle has surrounded herself with a talented board, supportive
advisors and an amazing creative team to form So Brave Ltd in 2017. As the Founder and Managing Director of
So Brave, Rachelle hopes that all young women will become #breastaware for life.
Arthur Alexander
Chair
Arthur is an experienced company director who currently holds three board positions in addition to being Chair
of the So Brave Board. He has also worked closely on the leadership teams and Boards of Leukemia Foundation
Queensland and Leukemia Foundation Australia over the past 30 years.
Holding an executive MBA, Arthur has over 35 years’ experience as manager, business owner, and consultant
across a wide range of business sectors. These include health, engineering, construction and not-for-profit. As
Chair, he brings a wealth of knowledge and a broad perspective to the So Brave Board.
Arthur’s interest in So Brave comes from a strong belief that there is more we can do to improve the life of those
who have been diagnosed with cancer via advocacy, support programs, information, and better treatment.
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Samantha Klintworth
Non-Executive Director
Samantha is an experienced Board Director, accomplished leader, and strategic professional, with business
skills developed over 25 years predominantly in the child and family, community, health, and not for profit
sectors.
As well as being So Brave’s Non-Executive Director, Samantha is the Australian Director of Amnesty
International, a registered Psychologist, holds a Bachelor of Laws and an MBA, and is a Graduate of the
Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Samantha joined the So Brave Board because she believes that supporting women in all aspects of life, health
and well-being, and particularly those experiencing vulnerability, enriches and strengthens the very fabric of
our communities.
Laura Lukin
Non-Executive Director
Laura brings a diverse interdisciplinary skill set and extensive project management experience to the So Brave
Board as a Non-Executive Director. Her expertise spans across education, design, and built environment
industries. With a commitment to lifelong learning and exploring the intersections of her interests, Laura has
worked for vocational education and training, multi-disciplinary design firms, and member-based organisations
in both non-profit and private sectors.
Laura, with her focused determination to make positive impacts, aligns herself with individuals and
organisations that are driving real change. Her involvement continues to evolve across various member based
and NFP organisations at different capacities.
Penny Ellenger
Non-Executive Director
Penny is accomplished in supporting, engaging with and representing members and stakeholders across
Australia. Together with an energetic team in the Advisory Board Centre's HQ in Brisbane, she is responsible for
the management of operations, delivery of member services and events across Australia, New Zealand and into
key network communities in Asia, as well as building strong stakeholder relationships with the business
community, state and federal government/agency sector, and adding value to the member community.
Passionate about making valuable connections in business and the community sectors, Penny draws on her
extensive networks and stakeholder relationships built over many years to drive useful commercial and
professional outcomes for her members. Penny has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance and a
Bachelor of Arts, 3 sports-crazy children and an incredibly supportive partner, Aaron. She underwent surgery
and treatment for breast cancer in 2014.
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Anna Ronald CPA
Treasurer and Non-Executive Director
As the founding Director of Anna Ronald Accounting, Anna primarily works with SME clients and not-for-profit
entities, helping them to grow their businesses and achieve their goals. Anna is a CPA Public Practitioner and
holds a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University in the UK.
Originally from Scotland, Anna now lives in Melbourne with her husband Euan and daughter Emma. Anna was
diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34 and underwent intensive treatment, including IVF, chemotherapy,
hormone therapy, and multiple surgeries. She is now determined to help other young women on the same
journey.
Heidi Rodgers FGIA
Company Secretary
Heidi is an internationally qualified Company Secretary who has been in the Corporate Governance space for
close to a decade. She has been involved as a governance professional for large corporate bodies such as RACQ,
Careers Australia, and more recently as assistant company secretary for CleanCo, a government owned
corporation.
Heidi has a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance, Certificate of Governance Practice, and a
Diploma of Accounting among other qualifications. She feels very strongly about raising breast cancer
awareness, particularly in young women, and is extremely excited and proud with the opportunity to contribute
her time and skills to help achieve the So Brave vision.
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By prioritising and making clear decisions in the
best interest of So Brave I believe we are in a
good place as we move into 2021.
A N N A R O N A L D C P A
T r e a s u r e r a n d N o n - E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r
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A R T H U R A L E X A N D E R
F R O M T H E C H A I R
2020 was a year unlike any other, where certainty and planning was dissolved in the impact of
Covid-19. Like most businesses and charities, So Brave was hit extremely hard, not just
financially but also our carefully mapped out plans were thrown into disarray. We were well
ahead of budget predictions and timelines for our projects in March 2020. Within one month we
were re-assessing these projects, and recalibrating our spending to survive. We have survived
thanks to some very prudent management of our funds not just in 2020 but in the two years prior.
In spite of lockdowns and downturns, we established So Brave's Young Women's Advisory
Committee, Brave | You, aimed at young women. With the mission to empower, educate and
support other young women to be breast aware and empowering all young people to advocate for
their health. We are slowly building that community with the help of some amazing young
women. Brave | You promotes health advocacy, education and awareness of health issues, such
as breast awareness and mental health, while normalising the discussion so we can eventually
shift from stigma to empowerment. If you want to know more about this innovative committee
please visit our website.
As we recover in 2021, we at So Brave are optimistic that all parts of our core business will return.
In the short term, we will continue our focus on education and information programs for young
women. This is critical because the threat of breast cancer to young women is still there and
knowledge and early detection are two important tools that young women can have to take
charge of their health. We were close to trialling our support program for those living with breast
cancer before COVID hit. We are planning to re-boot this program when we have a clearer insight
into how quickly our revenue returns. Other core parts of our business—research (scientific and
psycho-social) and advocacy will also eventually return. The importance of these have not
diminished because of COVID, but rely on our continued financial sustainability.
Thank you to the many who have supported us throughout a very difficult time. With your loyalty,
well wishes, messages, and very real actions we never lost our confidence in our mission. We
look forward to delivering a strong So Brave for all those young women who need our message,
care, and understanding.
We look forward to your continued support in 2021.
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So Brave has the capacity to influence an entire
generation of young women, to take charge of
their own health welfare and lead the conversation
with health professionals - and no longer simply
be told what their best options are.
P E N N Y E L L E N G E R
N o n - E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r
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L O O K I N G B A C K
L E T T E R S O F L O V E
APRIL 2020
In April this year, we released our first book, Letters of Love to our New Breast Friends. Letters of
Love is a collection of letters to inspire young women, especially those who are on their journeys
with breast cancer, and sheds a light on the sacrifices, challenges, and insights of a life with a
breast cancer diagnosis. These stories capture an intimate and poignant insight into breast
cancer and its physical, mental and emotional effects.
“I wanted to share the love with other women who might be going through this at the moment,
so they don’t feel alone.”
Jess W – diagnosed with breast cancer at 28 years old.
“It’s the kind of book I wish I had when I was diagnosed.”
Robyn – diagnosed with breast cancer at 30 years old.
“It’s the book I would want my best friend to have if she was going through breast cancer – to
hear the stories of women like her, and to feel their courage and laugh and cry with them.”
Rachelle – diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 years old.
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L O O K I N G B A C K
B R A V E F A C E S
JUNE 2020
In June this year, we launched our #bravefaces campaign. With the goal to spread a message of
community, empowerment and positivity in a time of adversity and isolation. We got our 2020 So
Brave Model Ambassadors - Beck, Anna, Carol, Kris, Lena, Sam and Yvonne - to empower and
express themselves with face paint, much like we do for our calendar paint days.
We showered our social media with beautiful, inspirational, motivational images of these
#bravefaces, inspiring and motivating our young supporters to be conscious, communal and
supportive of one another in both these times of isolation and all year round because breast
cancer doesn’t stop for any virus, it is still happening, occurring, diagnosing and battling many
young women today.
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L O O K I N G B A C K
M E : W I T H O U T R E S E R V A T I O N
AUGUST 2020
In September we released our second book, Me: Without Reservation - A Young Woman's Guide to
Bravery and Resilience. Me: Without Reservation is filled with stories from inspirational women,
thought-provoking activities, beautiful quotes, and useful tips to help young women refocus on
themselves. There is such a massive knowledge gap between school, university and the “realworld”
and our aim is the minimize that gap as much as we can.
In conjunction with the book bundle release, we created the Me: Without Reservation expert-led
online course that ran during October with twenty-six different experts speaking in the fields of
relationships, goal-setting, breast awareness, mental health, sexual & reproductive health, selfcare,
financial decision making, health & wellness, self-love, and confidence. Giving these
women the knowledge and some tools to implement into their everyday lives. So they can
establish lifelong habits, create lasting change in each of those areas, and achieve their dreams!
As So Brave's first step into the self-empowerment for young women space, the result was very
successful and we look forward to running more Me: Without Reservation courses and programs
for young women into the future.
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L O O K I N G B A C K
5 Y E A R S B R A V E R
SEPTEMBER 2020
In lieu of our annual national launch events, we hosted a four-day long online event, 5 Years
Braver, in the first week of September celebrating all that So Brave has accomplished over the
last five years. We reunited with our model ambassadors from previous years, hosted panels,
exhibited our first digital art gallery, held an online marketplace and auctions. The event was
highly successful and was a great way to bring together all of our sponsors, supporters and
families from over the past five years to celebrate our mission and success and to launch some
of our proudest new initiatives.
Over the course of the weekend, we held:
The Exclusive Launch - Looking back at the past five years of So Brave
Love Fest Brekkie - Catching up with our 2018 So Brave Model Ambassadors (SBMAs) and
discussing the origins of Letters of Love
Next Generation of Empowering Women - Catching up with our 2016 SBMAs and launching
So Brave's Young Women's Advisory Committee, Brave | You
An Evening of Art - Discussing the origins of So Brave, interviewing So Brave principal
bodypaint artist, Wendy Fantasia and discussing the bodypaint process with fellow
bodypaint artists and photographers from inspiration to finished product. During the
Evening of Art, we also launched our first digital art gallery, featuring images from across
the last 5 years of So Brave.
SBMA Support - Catching up with our 2017 SBMAs
Why?! - Catching up with our 2019 SBMAs and interviews with legacy donor recipient Peter
MacCallum Cancer Research Centre's Associate Professor Kara Britt and So Brave
Community Supporter, Deanne Jebreen
Where are we now? - Interviews with So Brave donor recipients from the Australian
Institute of BioEngineering and NanoMedicine, Centre for Personalised NanoMedicine,
Doctor Darren Corbie, Professor Matt Trau and UQ PhD researchers and held a virtual tour of
their laboratory.
The Future is Brave - Catching up with our 2020 SBMA's and discussing So Brave's future
goals and plans
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L O O K I N G B A C K
B R A V E | Y O U
SEPTEMBER 2020
During our 5 Years Braver celebrations we launched our foundation Young Women's Advisory
Committee, Brave | You. Brave | You is a dynamic new growth focus for So Brave, established with
young women aged 15-25 working WITH, BY and FOR young women.
Their mission is to establish an empowered community which encourages and
supports young people to 'find their brave’ through education focused on breast
awareness and health.
Young people are not always taken seriously. As a consequence, they often don’t get
the support that they need. In many cases, their health doesn’t seem like a priority
until an issue arises. Brave | You don’t think that’s good enough. Everyone should have
the confidence to advocate for their health and have that confidence fostered in a safe
community with the sole focus to educate, support and empower.
Brave | You is looking to grow within the University and High School sectors, expanding
their reach through engaged conversations and informative health education events.
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If you change nothing, nothing will change and So Brave
has an unique opportunity to make a difference and
bring change to many young women's lives.
H E I D I R O D G E R S F G I A
C o m p a n y S e c r e t a r y
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F R O M T H E B R A V E | Y O U P R E S I D E N T
G E O R G I A C A R R I G A N
Brave | You, So Brave's Young Women’s Advocacy Committee, was born from the idea of
representation and education. So Brave, Australia’s Young Women’s Breast Cancer Charity,
supports and empowers women who were diagnosed with Breast Cancer under the age of 40.
Due to the lack of support systems and education around the commonality of Breast Cancer
amongst young women.
Over the 5 years of So Brave’s existence, Model Ambassadors have shared their passion for
education within the current and future generations of young women. To encourage monthly
breast checks, to be #breastaware, and to advocate for one’s own health and wellness.
Brave | You came about when a group of So Brave volunteers suggested the implementation of a
younger collective voice to support the aims and endeavours of So Brave regarding education
and empowerment for the next generation of young women… and Brave | You was born.
Brave | You is a collective of young women aged 15-25 with a desire to promote self-advocacy
amongst the community of young people.
Brave WITH you - working collaboratively with the wider community of young women
Brave BY you - events, workshops and resources are created by young women
Brave FOR you - everything we do is aimed for young women
As young women, we are often overlooked and opinions about our own health are disregarded
due to our age and our gender. We aim to empower and inspire young women to advocate and
educate themselves so that when the time presents itself, we are comfortable and confident
enough to vocalise our thoughts and concerns regarding our health and our bodies.
With this aim and vision – we hope that young women are empowered to utilise their confidence
to advocate for themselves in other settings too. The values of empowerment, education and
advocacy are invaluable to the community of young women – the change starts now!
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Despite the challenges faced due to the global pandemic, the girls still persevered. With the
beauty of technology, we were able to: strategize our structure and vision, present ourselves and
our purpose in our September launch and since then host two incredible online events.
Our first being “I Can’t Even?!” where we spoke to Registered Psychologist and senior lecturer at
the University of Queensland, a Breast Cancer Survivor and Breast Cancer Warrior both having
gone through or going through breast cancer as young women. Our Breast Cancer Survivor then
joined us again or our second event, an Instagram live discussing all things breast cancer
specifically for young women and advice for viewers.
With two online events under our belt, we are in the process of planning some more exceptional
events – both in-person and digitally. To say we are excited would be an understatement. We’re
in the process of encouraging women between the ages of 15-25 to apply to be a part of our
committee and help share our mission of promoting, educating and empowering young women
to self and health advocate.
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We strive to create a community of support
and strength for young women.
L A U R A L U K I N
N o n - E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r
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2 0 1 9 / 2 0 F I N A N C I A L Y E A R
F I N A N C I A L S
The 2019-20 financial year will be remembered as one of the most challenging of the last half century, with the COVID-19 pandemic
resulting in widespread shutdowns of community activities around the world from March. The pandemic had a significant
financial impact on So Brave and our operations throughout 2020. Due to travel restrictions and social distancing requirements
throughout Australia, we were unable to proceed with the majority of our planned fundraising activities in the latter half of the
financial year, including the body paints for our annual So Brave Calendar.
Revenue generation became critical for the organisation, with government subsidies providing much-needed financial support
while we re-evaluated our approach. The decision was made to offer a Special Edition So Brave Calendar for sale in 2020, together
with Letters of Love to our new Breast Friends – the very first book from So Brave!
Accurate cashflow forecasting became more important than ever for So Brave throughout 2020. Careful management of all
expenses and outgoings enabled the organisation to survive the sudden and unexpected fall in fundraising revenue experienced
in the second half of FY19-20. In contrast to the fall in revenue from fundraising activities in the second half of FY19-20, it was
pleasing to note that Donation and Events Income had increased significantly overall in FY19-20 in comparison to FY18-19.
A large portion of our income for the financial year is received prior to the Christmas period, via calendar sales and our annual
Gala Fundraising Dinner. We were therefore very fortunate that our dinner in September 2019 was well attended, and thankfully it
took place prior to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of fundraising events.
The financial result achieved for FY19-20 is a testament to the dedication of the So Brave team members, in responding to the
challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 EXPENDITURE SUMMARY
2020 INCOME BY SOURCE
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S U M M A R I S E D F I N A N C I A L S T A T E M E N T S
F I N A N C I A L S
The complete 2020 Financial Report including the Director’s Report and Independent Auditor’s Report can be found on the
Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) website and is available upon request.
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We can’t always prevent breast cancer but we can
educate people so that young women can make better
decisions, get an early diagnosis and better outcomes.
J A C I N T A C O L L I S O N
S o c i a l M e d i a a n d M a r k e t i n g M a n a g e r
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C L O S I N G
2020 was definitely one year for the history books, but now more than ever, So Brave is committed as Australia's Young Women's
Breast Cancer Charity to raise awareness for all young women across Australia to be #breastaware. Our mission even in the face
of all the challenges remains clear: we empower young women diagnosed with breast cancer; raise awareness and educate
young women to be #breastaware and fundraise for breast cancer research.
The Australian and State Departments of Health and many large breast cancer organisations across the world are well aware of
the significant impact that COVID has had on breast cancer screening and diagnosis. It is estimated that more than 8000
Australian women remain undiagnosed through delays created by and further impacted by COVID. Adding to those complexities, is
the lack of understanding by medical professionals and younger women alike of their risk of breast cancer: which presents the
makings of a perfect storm of delayed diagnosis and potential incurable metastatic disease. During COVID So Brave continued to
work with young women to educate and inform of their risk of breast cancer, how to do self exams, how to self advocate to
medical professionals and opening conversations to remove the taboos that surround breast and body health in young women.
We aim to continue this education and empowerment through our mission.
Australia's young women face additional challenges in both accessing screening and diagnostic imaging and in becoming aware
of their own breast cancer risk from a young age. Your support of our mission enables So Brave - Australia's only breast cancer
organisation specifically representing breast cancer in young women - to continue to reach out to the young women of Australia
to encourage them to be lifelong health and self advocates.
As with many organisations, COVID has had an incredibly difficult impact on our organisations' operations and our ability to
deliver in person activities. Funding our ability to deliver these potentially life-saving services is necessary and your continued
support in funding our mission to provide health literacy education to the nation's young women is vital.
On behalf of young women across Australia, we thank you for your support over the last five years and implore you to continue the
conversation with us - continue changing the conversation for young women in Australia. Breast cancer doesn't discriminate,
young women need support and we thank you for yours.
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