We spoke to the wonderful Jennifer Jury who runs the annual Charity Ladies Lunch Event on the 31st of May (2019) for Cystic Fibrosis at the RACV City Club in Bourke St Melbourne.
Tell us about the luncheon and your part in it
Charity & Fun (aka Jan Dalton, Bee Pitts, Jennifer Jury) run an annual Charity Ladies Lunch Event for Cystic Fibrosis always in the Month of May, where hundreds of women will come together to celebrate ’65 Roses’ Month and raise funds to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). My 10-year-old daughter Ellie-May has CF & we are proud to say that with the incredible generosity of everyone involved to date we have raised over $175,000 for this worthy cause so far! Proceeds support 2 CF organisations – Cystic Fibrosis Community Care & Cure4CF.
“The phrase ’65 Roses’ comes from the mouth of a child who mistook the pronunciation of Cystic Fibrosis thinking it instead ’65 Roses’ and as such it has become a meaningful symbol for the charity.”
“When a newborn baby is diagnosed with CF the grief experienced by the parents is unimaginable. CF is the most common, genetically inherited, a life-shortening condition affecting young Australians today – a baby is born with CF every four days. The condition affects the lungs, digestive system and sweat glands requiring relentless expensive, daily physiotherapy and medical regimes. The average life expectancy for those born with CF is 38 – there is no cure.”
The idea of a ladies luncheon came to us about 8 years ago when we were attending a Ladies Lunch Event for Ovarian Cancer. We loved being part of that experience & decided that we could replicate the event for Cystic Fibrosis. There is just 3 of us volunteers, working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the day is a huge success & that all runs smoothly & we maximise our potential to raise much-needed funds & awareness for CF. Now in our 6th year, we have a good, efficient blueprint to follow, but chasing ticket sales & donations for prizes is always the most time-consuming part.
The CF Luncheon is all about raising funds & awareness for CF while having a good time.
There is a 2-course meal, free-flowing beverages, goody bags for all guests, live music & lots of dancing, celebrity MC & lots of ways to donate to our cause through raffles, auctions & mystery balloons. It really is a chance to rally the girlfriends together & enjoy a “long lunch”, and all for a good cause!
What do you wish people knew about CF that perhaps they don’t?
”That there is NEVER a day off from CF” – as my 10 yo often tells us & this year Ellie-May will be speaking as the Guest Speaker to let the audience really know what it is like to be a child living with CF. The constant stress & anxiety for all family members is massive, but you really do learn to appreciate the special things in life.
Who have been some if your fave MCS?
Where do I begin – we have been so fortunate & thankful to have had amazing & extremely talented MCs in Claire Hooper, Denise Scott, Cal Wilson & Lano. They have all been unique in their approach & had the audience in fits of laughter, which always helps create the perfect atmosphere. If I really had to choose, we took a risk last year having a male, but Lano absolutely nailed it. We were all in stitches.
What does the rest of your life look like? What’s a regular week for Jen?
BUSY is probably an understatement, but like most mums, we are good at juggling and multi-tasking!! I work part-time at Vic Beach Geelong (our own family business), run around after 2 busy daughters 10yo Ellie-May & 12yo Olivia and try to have some “me” time especially to exercise and love nothing better than hanging out with my hubby Greg & kids and enjoying life in Jan Juc.
Why do you feel it is important to be involved at this capacity for things you feel passionate about?
I think when you have a personal connection & know how important research into finding a CURE is, you will work your butt off & you can’t help but be passionate. The reward when it all comes together far outweighs the workload. Ellie-May is now 10 years old & we know how precious time is. In recent years we have had a few scares when lung function has rapidly dropped to 50% so I will continue to do whatever I can to make a difference & am so fortunate to have great friends who jumped on board with me. And despite all the hard work, we do have some fun along the way 🙂
To book seats or a table of ten for the beautiful 65 Roses ladies lunch this May, email charityandfun@gmail.com
With Mother’s Day coming up, it inspires me to read about Jen and her tenacity in taking what must be an unimaginable journey and making choices to help others so passionately.