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65 Roses Week 13th-20th April 2012

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week

65 Roses Flag Day is Friday 20th April 2012

Why 65 Roses?

'65 Roses' is how some children first learn how to say 'Cystic Fibrosis'. The symbol in Ireland for '65 Roses Week' is purple roses. We will be marking the week in a similar way to last year by encouraging everyone to buy a pin &/or trolley coin. Funding is collected at both a national level and local level by branches.

The funding collected during '65 Roses Week' will help fund both the work of the national office in its fight for adequate national and local services.

Half of the proceeds of the pins &/or trolley coins will go to branches for local fundraising and half will go to national initiatives including dedicated in patient and out patient facilities and a new advice service for parents of newly diagnosed children.

Dedicated inpatient and outpatient facilities around the country

Funding is required for vital isolation beds and new treatment centres such as Dublin, Drogheda, Castlebar, Limerick and Waterford. This will mean that people with CF will have centres with adequate facilities to avoid cross infection when they attend hospital. These services are not an option for better health, they are essential and they are needed now. Our goal is to provide these facilities in the shortest timeframe possible.

New Diagnosis Support Service for Parents

In the second half of 2011, screening for CF was brought in by the HSE for new born children for the first time in Ireland. This is part of the existing new born screening programme that most parents are already familiar with (the heel prick test).

It is estimated that 3 parents a week will receive word that their new born child has CF or is a carrier of the CF gene as a result of this change. When a diagnosis has been confirmed it is a time of significant stress and worry to the parents.

The CFAI established a parent's support service for families with a newly diagnosed child with CF. This service will include advice, support, reassurance, information and practical help. This support will be additional to that provided by the HSE.

What will be happening during 65 Roses Week?

How will CFAI Head Office support fundraising?

The head office will undertake the following:

• Printing and distribution of our 65 Roses lapel badge & Trolley Coin
• Organise pop-up stands/posters for use in shopping centres during the awareness week
• Seeking permission from shopping centres around the country to collect on that week and more specifically on the Flag Day
• Organising purple t-shirts to be worn during the week

How can branches get involved?

• Co-ordination of volunteers and local centres
• By organising to sell lapel badges and trolley coins during 65 Roses Week
• By organising other fundraising and awareness initiatives in and around the week of the 13th-20th of April

What can you do?

• Join our quest to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis: organize your 65 Roses event, we will provide the support you need in return for your time and effort to make 2012 our most successful National Awareness Week yet.

The following is a list of the shopping centres: