Olivia Newton-John Kept Busy With Charity Work

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Australian superstar Olivia Newton-John raised over $2 million for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre when she walked the length of the Great Wall of China in April. But her work hasn’t stopped there, and she has been busy with a number of charity initiatives recently – all in the name of raising cancer awareness.

Last week the four-time Grammy winner announced a partnership with Curves – the world’s largest fitness franchise for women – to launch an international campaign to distribute 1 million units of Liv Aid, a breast self-exam aid. The initiative’s goal is to empower and encourage women to take control of their bodies and breast health as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“Being a breast cancer ‘thriver,’ I know that early detection is key to good breast health,” said the 59-year-old, who was diagnosed with cancer in 1992. “My wish is that all women age 20 and above perform monthly breast self-examinations. With the wonderful support of Curves, an organization whose mission statement is ‘strengthening women,’ I hope that this campaign will be the beginning to have the Liv Aid available to every woman in the U.S. and it will become a staple in every medicine cabinet in the next five years.”

The packs will be available for free exclusively from Curves in the US, and a website – www.liv.com – will also be set up as a one-stop source for information, news and education about breast health and early detection.

The singer is also set to relive her Grease days when she performs the iconic hit Summer Nights with Guy Sebastian at a fundraising concert later this month.

A host of Australian celebrities – including Christine Anu, Kate Ceberano, Tim Freedman, Melinda Schneider, James Reyne, Axle Whitehead and Daryl Braithwaite – will join Newton-John at the Olivia Newton-John and Friends Gala Fundraiser at the Sydney State Theatre on September 30 to raise money for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal.

“It’s going to be really fun night, with a lot of really talented people, and I get to sing with a few of them, so that will be great fun,” said Newton-John. “I also hope to do Courageous with Melinda [Schneider] because we recorded it together and it’s such a beautiful song.”

The appeal is aiming to build a world class cancer centre at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital, with construction set to begin next year.

“I believe we’re going to be breaking ground next year, so I can’t wait to hit the pick axe first,” she said. “I don’t know the timeline yet, but we’re getting some major grants coming through, so that’s really exciting.“

The concert follows the release of the singer’s charity CD, Olivia Newton-John and Friends – A Celebration in Song. Released last month and available through Amazon, the CD features duets with a range of stars, including Keith Urban, Barry Gibb, Delta Goodrem, Jimmy Barnes, Jann Arden, RyanDan, Richard Marx and Cliff Richard.

A portion of the proceeds from the album will also go to the The Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre to provide world-class research into all types of cancer.

Stars Perform One Night Live For Hospital

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:31:03 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

Singers Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, and RyanDan played a One Night Live concert last month in Toronto which – along with a private $8 million donation from Aubrey and Marla Dan – raised $12 million for the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, a world leading hospital in perinatology and gynecology.

“Aubrey and I… wanted to give back to the hospital to help provide the leading-edge facilities that mothers and their babies deserve,” said Maria Dan. “Our miracle baby [delivered at Sunnybrook] is now a 15-year-old teenager.”

Sarah McLachlan also remembers the 21 hours of hard back labor with her first child and caesarean section with her second, “I understand the need to have a really good facility, in particular for high-risk babies, and just to give mothers and babies every opportunity to get the best foot forward. I think this is a really good unit that they’re building.”

The generous gift and concert proceeds will be put towards the construction of a new state-of-the-art, 150,000 square foot home for the High Risk Mothers & Babies Program at Sunnybrook. The current facility is in serious need of space in which to conduct its life-saving work for the 4000 babies born there each year. The new complex, due to be completed mid-2010, will increase that number to 4,500.

“Donors like the Dans, and everyone attending One Night Live, enable us to help families at this most important time — childbirth,” said Dr. Jennifer Blake, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sunnybrook. “We will be there for families with happy, uncomplicated pregnancies, but thanks to this wonderful generosity, we will also be able to give the best start possible to those moms and babies who most need the expert care for which our program is known.”

“The success of this event brings us even closer to our $300 million Campaign for Sunnybrook goal,” said Jennifer Tory, Chair of the Sunnybrook Foundation. “This has exceeded all our expectations.”

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