Above and beyond

As fund raising activities go it’s certainly at the more extreme end of the scale. The annual CEO Dare to Cure takes business leaders from all disciplines and puts them in situations well and truly out of their comfort zone to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Institute’s (CCI) ongoing fight against childhood cancers.

From ice baths to facing deep-seated phobias, feats of physical endurance or shaving off treasured locks, the CEO Dare to Cure puts a very different spin on the traditional fund raising event, but with outstanding results for the CCI.

In this, the fifth year of the challenge, the brave and generous of spirit again lined up to take on the trails for the cause, with Audi Australia represented by its General Manager of Marketing, Nick Reid.

Joined by colleagues from the Volkswagen Group, Reid swapped a day in the office for a day at  Royal Randwick, getting up close and personal with a three-metre python, which may or may not have been preferable to spending the day in meetings.

Not only was handling the huge reptile on the agenda, but the dare involved allowing it to slither all over him while he lay in what’s called the Snake Bath. Reid handled the challenge without flinching, completing one of the many ‘dares’ that test participants physical and mental limits.

“It’s nothing compared to what these kids and their families have to face on a daily basis,” Reid said after parting company with the snake.

“The Children’s Cancer Institute makes a real difference to the lives of so many kids that enduring a little discomfort to help raise funds for their work is a small price to pay.”

His colleagues from the Volkswagen Group likewise put themselves out of their comfort zone for the cause. Cupra Brand Director, Ben Wilks, took the cycle challenge, riding a stationary bike for three hours (dedicated to the 3 kids that die every week from cancer) before plugging into the ‘Athlete’s Ice Bath. While Nathan Johnson, VW Head of Marketing and Product, walked on both fire and glass as his dare.

Together, they raised more than $18,000.00 for the CCI, which will go to help continue the lifesaving work of the ZERO program and ultimately, finding a cure for childhood cancers.

The Audi Foundation entered into an ongoing partnership with CCI at the start of 2023 as part of the Foundation’s medical research pillar, helping to support the groundbreaking work of the CCI’s ZERO Childhood Cancer Program.

This internationally recognised program has already made tremendous progress with its targeted approach to treating each child and their specific cancer individually with what is called precision medicine.

Cancer remains the leading cause of childhood death by disease in Australia. Wth as many as 1000 young Australians diagnosed each year, the survival rate now sits at over 80 percent where 40 or 50 years ago it would have been in the single figures.

In addition to partnerships like that with the Audi Foundation, the CEO Dare to Cure is a major annual revenue raiser for the CCI and supporting its ongoing work. Congratulations to all who took part.