Our staff member Ms Tanya Kubitza was featured in this week’s Northern Star article about Al Siraat College’s participation in this year’s Great Cycle Challenge. The article also appeared on other local business' websites:
By the end of October, Tanya Kubitza hopes to have clocked 800 kilometres and raised more than $5,000 for cancer research. For the second year in a row, the mother of two will ride through scenic Victoria for the Great Cycle Challenge.
“It went so well last year,” Ms Kubitza said. “It was such a rewarding and humbling experience; I thought I had to do it again.”
The administration staffer is teaming up with her colleagues at Al Siraat College “to do something” for the disease that affects one in two Australian men and one in three Australian women.
Cancer accounts for about three in 10 deaths, according to the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report.
“As soon as you open a newsletter or an email, you have all this dreadful news coming in [about people dying from cancer] – it’s disheartening,” Ms Kubitza said. “There’s little I can do, but with little a lot comes together.”
Pupils and parents at the school are again rallying behind her. She said the children were enthusiastic about chocolate drives and icypole sales. “Kids are slowly becoming aware that we’re doing the Great Cycle Challenge again and parents have already said they want to donate money.”
Ms Kubitza is flying out to Sydney with her seven- and 10-year-old daughters to visit cancer patients next month and hopes they can come along to some of her bike rides.
“It’s a different experience when you see [cancer patients] first hand.”
The girls, who have been their mum’s number one supporters, are eager to help out again this year. “The older one donated one month’s worth of pocket money and the little one [donated] half a month’s worth,” Ms Kubitza said.
“At our Eid festival, they were selling balloons and chocolates, and rather than going onto the jumping castle, they were minding the fund-raising stall for me.”
Ms Kubitza is calling for the community to help out and join the Great Cycle Challenge.