Today FM has launched its annual “Dare to Care” campaign in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and this year the station is asking people around Ireland to ‘Be a Dancer for Cancer’ with the goal of raising €500,000 to fund vital cancer research and support services.
According to The Irish Cancer Society, by 2020, one in two of us will get a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime. However, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, in large part to cancer research, there are now more than 200,000 cancer survivors in Ireland.
According to Today FM, people across the country, from schools to football clubs and offices to groups of friends, have set up their own dance events and fundraising pages to take part in a ‘National Day of Dancing’ which takes place next Tuesday, 30th April. As part of the campaign, Today FM listeners voted for the song to dance to on the day, the winning song ‘Shut Up and Dance’ by Walk the Moon was championed by The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show and raised more than €10,000 in text donations alone.
Today FM presenters Ian Dempsey, Dermot & Dave, Muireann O’Connell, Matt Cooper, Fergal D’Arcy and Louise Duffy have all rowed in behind this year’s ‘Dare to Care’. The personalities recreated a series of famous dance scenes from movies including La La Land, Dirty Dancing and Pulp Fiction which are featured in an eye-catching outdoor advertising campaign across the country this month.
According to Róisín Reilly, Head of Marketing, Today FM: “This year for Dare to Care we wanted to do something that almost everybody could get involved in, and who doesn’t love to dance? Over the years, our listeners have shown just how far they’re willing to go when it comes to raising money for the Irish Cancer Society. We want schools, community clubs, offices, families and friends to Be a Dancer for Cancer and help us raise much needed funds for research, for support services – for all those going through cancer. If the Today FM presenters can dance, anyone can! If people can’t dance on Tuesday, 30th April, don’t worry – dance any time, any place and encourage those around you to give what they can.”
Mark Mellett, Head of Fundraising, Irish Cancer Society said, “Each day in Ireland, 150 people are diagnosed with cancer. We are determined to provide free support services for everyone who needs us. But with the number of people getting cancer at a record high, we are finding it more and more difficult to provide this free support to every cancer patient that needs it. That’s why it’s fantastic to have support from everybody at Today FM to help meet this demand. We know that the great Today FM listeners really do care about cancer patients and we are excited to work with Today FM this year on the 2019 Dare to Care fundraising campaign. It’s really fun and easy to do – we can all be a ‘Dancer for Cancer’ to help ensure no-one has to go through cancer alone.”
To get involved in Today FM’s Dare to Care and register your Dancer for Cancer event visit: www.todayfm.com/daretocare
