By JESSE GRAHAM
WINTER has come, and Healesville’s Kirsty Bowness is calling on families and businesses in the area to put on a roast for a good cause, and raise money for medical research.
The Big Roast for Cystic Fibrosis is run throughout the month of July, asking residents to host a roast dinner for friends and family and donate some money to the Royal Children’s Hospital’s Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust.
Ms Bowness, whose children, Liam and Grace, are living with cystic fibrosis, started the roast after years of participating in fund-raising events for the trust.
“We’ve raised money ever since they were diagnosed – we used to go running half-marathons and stuff,” she said.
“This is our third year for the Big Roast.”
She said that roasts across the state last year brought in $8000 for the trust, and $6000 the year before, but that she had “big dreams” for its future.
“If we could raise $20,000, I’d be over the moon,” she said.
Sharon Keogh from Toolangi’s Singing Gardens of CJ Dennis said the venue would be hosting a roast evening for the fund-raiser on Saturday, 23 July.
A musician will play to guests, with drinks on arrival, followed by a roast dinner and a trivia quiz.
Tickets to the event are $85, with all profits and extra money donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Cystic Fibrosis is a condition that affects the lungs and digestive system – thick mucus in the lungs and airways can cause infections and impair digestive functions.
Treatment is intense and ongoing, and there is currently no cure.
Ms Bowness said the roast was “going to expand and expand each year”, and that family members in Queensland were hosting an event next month in support.
For more information about the Big Roast, visit rchfoundation.com.au/event/thebigroast2016.
For more information about the Singing Gardens event, call 5962 9282 or Sharon Keogh on 0456 655 008.
