INNER Wheel Scone is hoping to further assist critically-ill children during its Cord Blood campaign next month.
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On Thursday, May 11, and Saturday, May 13, the local group will hit the streets to raise funds for research, according to treasurer/club correspondent Carol Scaramuzzi said.
“Inner Wheel has been operating in Scone for 45 years,” she said.
“In addition to our Cord Blood campaign, we conduct a Christmas raffle in conjunction with Rotary and all money raised is put back into the community.
“Among the groups we support are local schools, the hospital, Strathearn, Scone Ambulance, Murravale, Upper Hunter Homeless Support, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Girl Guides and Scone Scouts.
“We will have two days selling Cord Blood merchandise and a Mothers’ Day raffle.
“On May 11, we’ll be outside the Reject Shop and, on May 13, inside the Coles store – both from 8.30am.
“The Mother’s Day raffle will offer a luxurious throw and a watercolour painting.”
Inner Wheel’s national program Coin for a Cord Day began in 2000 and, as of February 28, it has raised $2,426,684.01.
“Please help us to continue raising funds for this worthwhile cause by purchasing a piece of our Cord Blood merchandise or by giving a donation,” Dr Scaramuzzi said.
“Cord Blood research focuses on how cord blood transplants can help critically-ill children with acute leukaemia and other medical conditions.
“In the past, Cord Blood (the blood left behind in the umbilical cord after childbirth) was discarded.
“Now, however, it is saved in a ‘cord blood bank’ and used in research.
“Cord Blood contains stem cells, undifferentiated cells that have the ability to develop into different specialised cells that comprise tissues in the body and comes under the canopy of regenerative medicine.”
Grants to Australian Researchers in October 2016 include:
1) Dr Alla Dolnikov, Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick NSW: $65,000 - “Haematopoietic Stem Cells from Umbilical Blood to generate Cancer Specific Immune Effector Cells”
2) Dr Sylvie Shen, Kids Cancer Centre at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick: $65,000 - “Cord Blood Stem Cells for ‘ex vivo’ expansion of Antigen Specific Natural Killer Cells for Multi-Modality Cancer Immunotherapy.”
3) Dr Michael Doran, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, University of Queensland: $65,000 - “High throughput humanised bone marrow niche array.”
4) Dr Courtney McDonald, The Richie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Victoria: $65,000 - “Umbilical Cord Blood Therapy for Cerebral Palsy: What are the long term benefits?”
Inner Wheel is one of the world’s largest women’s organisations whose members support their local communities through a variety of service opportunities.
The Scone branch meets on the first Monday of each month at 6.30pm at the Royal Hotel on Kelly Street.
The members also have a morning tea get-together once a month.