Can Too are very happy to announce North Sydney Ironman Tom Atkinson is our latest Ambassador. Tom is an active member of Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club and is club coach of the junior nipper training academy. Representing Sydney Northern Beaches in 2003, 2008, 2009 and Team Captain in 2010 - we are looking forward to seeing Tom compete in the upcoming Nutri Grain Iron Man series. Round one takes place in Surfers Paradise on December 18, 2011.

Be sure to follow Tom online at: www.tomatkinson.com.au and keep a lookout for him in his Can Too Orange singlet this season! 

Eastern Suburbs Can Too runner and swimmer Amanda as been honoured with the 2011 Deloitte Foundation Local Hero Award. This award recognises a Deloitte employee who has made a significant contribution to a philantropic or not-for-profit cause throughout the year.  Amanda is a valuable help to the Can Too team, often volunteering her time and energy to spread the word and encourage as many people as possible to join up. Congratulations Amanda!! We are so proud of you and very privleged to have you as a Can Tooer!

The students at King's in Sydney have gotten together to hold a mufti day and concert to raise $14,609 to fund young researchers - what an outstanding achievement!  Can Too Founder Annie Crawford received the special cheque from the King's School captain. Some lovely words were spoken about what rasing funds for Cure Cancer Australia has meant to the boys.

Hats off to the King's School community and from the bottom of our hearts, thankyou! 

Wednesday, 2nd Nov 2011 marked the start of our swim program in 7 locations across Sydney - stretching down south from Caringbah all the way up to Terrey Hills in the northern suburbs.

With the help of Team Captains, Mentors and some fantastic coaches, all 300 of our participants jumped into the pool to embark on a journey of fun, fitness and fundraising.  Some brought along a friend, some came solo - but all had a united end goal - to raise money for vital seed funding to find a cure for cancer.

This year we have introduced a new location at Kincoppal in Rose Bay due to the program's popularity in the East.  Places have filled up fast for people wanting to enjoy the free parking and brand new facility which has only been open for 6 months.

The next challenge is Saturday down at the beach!  Keep your eye out for the Can Too orange at  North Cronulla Beach, Manly, Newport Beach and Bondi!!

If you would like to sign up - there are still some spaces left and we would love to have you!

Some pics of our South Pod getting prepped and receiving their special Welcome Pack on Wednesday: 

Stay tuned to see how our Can Too Swimmers go throughout the program!

Yes, you read correctly - Can Too has raised $7,500,000 for Cure Cancer Australia!

In honour of this amazing acheivement, Can Too hosted all current and previous participants, sponsors including Macquarie Group Foundation and Bupa, researchers, Board Memebers, in-kind supporters and everyone else who helped get Can Too to this milestone at party held at The Arthouse on George Street in Sydney city.

During the night, the Can Too Song was performed live for the very first time - sung by Nicolette Kenny.  The mood in the room was electric as she hit the high notes and sung from the heart.  Nicolette has completed a number of Can Too programs so it was fantastic to have her involved in the Can Too Song project. (Stay tuned for more on the Can Too Song!!).

It was a jam packed night, with those people who have completed 5 or more programs with us unveiled to be Can Too Gurus, and we even congratulated two participants who have completed over 10 programs! 

Some of this years fundraisers were presented with plaques as a thanks for all their good work raising above and beyond their fundraising pledge, and Margaret-Anne Hayes was recognised as our highest fundraiser ever for her incredible effort of raising over $90,000.

Can Too Founder and Director Annie Crawford spoke to the crowd about her personal pride in reaching $7,500,000.  Read her emotional speech following the pics below.

It was a great evening filled with many special moments, made even more special by the people in the room who came to share it, and who made this milestone possible with all their fundraising and support.

Below, some shots of the night (with thanks to James Mills)

 Annies Speech

Welcome everybody to the $7.5 million dollar party!!!!! Can you believe it? Can you believe what we have achieved together!!! Can you believe that we have raised enough money to fund so many young Australian Researchers to find that cure for cancer??
How incredible does it feel to be part of something so positive with so many unintended consequences? How excited am I to be sharing tonight with you. Yet behind the money raised there is so much more. There are 1000’s of stories of you - our wonderful Can Tooers - stretching yourselves in ways that you could never have imagined.

Can Too and Cure Cancer Australia have been lucky enough to have behind the scenes tours of three institutes supporting our funded researchers. These mornings allow a rare opportunity to engage in learning more about where our funding goes. All our researchers were so personable and took time and care in explaining their research in a very clear and understandable way!! We would like to thank; Dr Daniel Andrews at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Dr Fares Al- Ejeh at Queensland Instituite of Medical Research in Brisbane and Dr Hilda Pickett at The Children’s Medical Research Institute Sydney . We have been so warmly welcomed over the past few months and it is inspiring to be supporting such innovative young researchers in their quest to cure cancer.

Can Too is thrilled to announce that Brisbane Roar FC Grand final hero, Erik Paartalu,  is excited to become a Can Too Ambassador from July 1^st 2011.

Erik, 25, is a professional Football player who currently plays for Brisbane Roar FC in the Hyundai A-league. He has impressed at the Roar, becoming a linchpin in their midfield and scoring some crucial goals, including his well acclaimed 2010-2011 Goal of the season. His defining moment with the Roar came in the 2010-2011 A-League Grand Final, where he scored the equalizer with the last touch of the game in the 120^th minute in front of 52,000-strong home crowd at Suncorp Stadium.

Prior to joining the Brisbane Roar, Erik spent four years playing professional football in Scotland which included playing a pivotal role in keeping his Greenock Morton club in the first division in 2008. He also had a stint in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) with Greta FC between 2006-2008. Erik has represented Australia at U17 level and is hoping to make the senior Socceroos squad within the next 2-3 years.

Erik started his career in Sydney in 2003 with the Northern Spirit FC and is pleased to be back playing football in Australia. He is excited about the opportunity of becoming an Ambassador with Can Too. 

The 115th Boston marathon was run in perfect conditions, which helped the winner break the world record.All of Boston gets behind it just like Sydney did in the Olympics - there are more than half a million spectators and over 8,000 volunteers helping.  Definitely a life long dream for any long distance runner and even better when you do a PB in it !

Anzac Day 2011 marked the one year anniversary of the passing of Cherie Keetley.  On Easter Saturday (April 23) we held the 'Cherie Keetley Memorial Run'. Despite the weather we gathered to run in honour of a  fantastic supporter of Can Too and Cure Cancer Australia who lost her own life after a long but courageous battle with cancer.

 
Annie and David Keetley

Last Thursday 10th March, Annie won the Rotary 'Inspirational Women' award for the Sydney Region. She was very humbled as the nominees included an impressive line up of women including Gabi Hollows and Geraldine Doogue. 

What a day, what a week!! How proud and elated was I, as I watched our amazing Can Tooers pop out of the water like black and orange penguins and then charge up the beach with huge smiles of relief, of elation, of belief in themselves.

The journey of the last 14 weeks has been huge for many of us, for some it has been life changing. Our Can Too Coaches, Team Captains and our Mentors  believed in us, until we believed in ourselves , until we were able to see for ourselves that we could achieve a goal we never imagined we could achieve and then some!!!. We thank them so much for being the true believers!!! The journey has taught us about ourselves, about our strengths and our weaknesses and about our triumphs!! The journey is also about others, it is about our family and our friends who are living and are dying with cancer . We swim for them and we get strength from their courage.  

We remember that Can Too is not just about us, it is about them and it is about how lots of small contributions can make a big difference. We are making a Difference to Cancer Research and to Cancer Outcomes. Be proud of this achievement.

So as I said , go forth and enjoy this week!!!! 

If you happened to be driving out on the Coolah Creek Road early on Saturday or Sunday mornings of late, you may have seen a sight not so common in these parts. Whilst most of us are happily tucked up in bed, a group of seven to ten Coolah women have been hitting the bitumen in training for the Sydney half marathon.

It’s no surprise that nearly all these women are involved in Coolah’s service sector. You can’t go to the Doctor, the Vet, the school, the gym or the preschool without bumping into one of these girls and now they’re putting their free time toward helping the greater community as well.

The group aims to raise $1,200 for Cure Cancer Australia and this is where they need your help. If you would like to support their cause collection boxes will be located at CRT Coolah Vet Surgery and the Doctor's Surgery or you can donate on-line by going to www.cantoo.org.au. All donations big and small will be greatly appreciated. Their next challenge is the 'City to Surf' so if you would like to improve your fitness, feel fantastic and "...do the thing which you think you can not do" - join them, because Coolah Can Too!

We are excited to announce that Channel Seven's Nat Barr came to training and they are planning on running a story profilling a few Can Too'ers.