Giorgio Express Auto Body Repairs are proud to be supporters for the Sunflower Fund Bandana Day. We are passionate about repairing and we care about healing.

If you are not sure what the Sunflower Fund is all about, keep reading to learn more.

Overview

The Sunflower Fund is a South African non-profit organisation dedicated to creating awareness, educating the public and facilitating the registration process for people to join the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR).

Increasing the number of donors listed on the national database offers hope to hundreds of South Africans with blood diseases such as leukaemia who have reached the point where their only chance of survival is a stem cell transplant. A larger Registry significantly improves patients’ prospects of finding matching stem cell donors in order to undergo life-saving stem cell transplants.

Education, awareness and the recruitment and testing of donors are inextricably linked; the one activity cannot happen in isolation of the other. They are an integral part of every project TSF embarks on and these activities include speaking about the role of The Sunflower Fund and the need to build the registry; the donor/patient relationship and the process of a stem cell transplant; and dispelling the myths surrounding stem cell donation process. In order to continue its valuable work, The Sunflower Fund relies solely on financial assistance from its dedicated funders – consisting of individuals, companies and organisations.

It takes just two test tubes of blood to become registered as a stem cell donor, but it the tissue typing of each sample at the required molecular (DNA) level currently costs The Sunflower Fund R2 000 per test. Donors are asked to make a voluntary contribution to this expense, but most of these costs are covered by The Sunflower Fund’s fundraising efforts.

Once the blood samples have been analysed, the individuals’ genetic information is then stored on the SABMR’s searchable database until the prospective donor turns 60 years old, which is the mandatory retirement age.

Our vision for the future

Recruiting donors to the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR) is fundamental to saving the lives of hundreds of South Africans each year. The chance of finding a matching donor is 1 in 100 000 – and as ethnic origin plays a significant role in the search for a donor, South Africa’s rainbow nation requires a large pool of prospective donors.

The aim of The Sunflower Fund is to increase the number of donors on the registry to at least 400 000, with proportionate representation of South Africa’s four main ethnic groups (Black, White, Coloured and Indian). This will offer all people suffering from life-threatening blood disorders access to a local donor search to find their match for a life-saving stem cell transplant.

Our strategic objectives

The Sunflower Fund has played a significant role in increasing the number of donors to more than 72 500 (30 June 2016). But this is clearly not enough. The SABMR is a living registry: as quickly as donors are continuously recruited, they also decrease each month due to factors such as age, illness and certain types of medication. It is of vital importance that the organisation recruits donors on a sustained basis to support the following important objectives:

• Promote public awareness of patients suffering from leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders.
• Educate the public about the need for prospective donors who are representative of all ethnic groups, with a focus on young Black, Coloured and Indian donors.
• 80% targeted South African ethnic donors.
• Dispel the myths surrounding the donation process (in the event that a prospective donor is asked to save a life, there is NO drilling into anyone’s bones for the extraction of bone marrow).
• Highlight the organisation’s funding needs in order to pay the test costs for individuals to join the SABMR.
• Assist indigent patients, where possible, in meeting the costs of certain local donor searches of the Registry.

For additional information:

Website: www.sunflowerfund.org.za
Freephone: 0800 12 10 82

For all Donor Recruitment and Queries, including Information, Change of Address (or other details), Fundraising and Donations.

Telephone: +27 (021) 701 0661
Donor Queries: donors@sunflowerfund.org.za 
Finance: corrine@sunflowerfund.org.za 
General Enquiries: shelley@sunflowerfund.org.za
National Marketing & Communications:lauren@sunflowerfund.org.za
Events: adi@Sunflowerfund.org.za

Giorgio Express Auto Body Repairs is one of the most sophisticated panel shops in KwaZulu Natal. Our staff are highly qualified and experienced. Together with our state-of-the-art equipment, we are able to ensure that you and your vehicle are in good hands. We specialise in complex and intricate repairs, spray painting and polishing of a highest quality.

For more information on our services and accreditations please contact us (039) 317-3534 | marco@giorgioexpress.co.za

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Approved service centre for: Audi, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Peugeot, Ford, GWM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Smart and Mazda.

Source: http://www.sunflowerfund.org.za/about-us-parent/mission-and-vision/