 
On behalf of our Committee and our entire family we hope that you had a truly special and blessed Christmas. May the gift of love, the gift of hope, the gift of kindness and the gift of happiness not only live in your heart during Christmas but throughout 2018.
We wish to express our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to every single individual and business who with their hearts burning ever so brightly with the light of human kindness, supported Dainere’s Rainbow either through elevating awareness or assisting in raising desperately needed funds for research for paediatric brain tumours. You are all true Champions and you have shone a light of hope for children diagnosed with paediatric brain tumours through your devotion, dedication, generosity and passion.
In 2018 we have several new projects that we are working towards, continually inspired by our most beloved and endlessly missed Dainere. Let us all unite and raise our voices and significantly increase funds raised to absolutely obliterate paediatric brain tumours in the future.
These are words that were written by Dainere on her last Christmas on this Earth. We hope that they provide you with inspiration and determination during 2018.
'During this year remember to be true to your hopes and dreams, keep them alive and never let anyone discourage or pressure you to change your mind about what you feel you can achieve. Always believe in yourself and your ability to make a difference.'
Research is the only way to improve treatments and survivorship for children with cancer.
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This Event was organised by our wonderful Committee Members Anne and David who are members of the Andante Andante Choir Inc. AKA the ABBA Choir who hosted this incredible evening to elevate awareness of paediatric brain tumours and raise funds for Dainere's Rainbow.
The evening saw a full house of guests who were entertained by this incredibly talented group of amazing people, feet were tapping, the entire room sang along, and the smiles and joy lit up the room. Everyone was certainly given a Christmas gift of music.
There were fabulous lucky door prizes, a raffle with the most marvellous prizes on offer and scrumptious supper. With 100% of all funds raised on the evening $699.00 supporting the dedicated and vital research of Associate Professor Ziegler and his team at Sydney Children’s Hospital Kids Cancer Centre.
Special mention and appreciation to Marilyn Gould, Judy Witherdin and Marg Wattam for their generous contribution of the gifts for the raffle and lucky door prizes and to Mark who re-donated his raffle prize and auctioning it off to raise an extra $20.
We were able to share information about the fund and the hope that we are giving to others through events like this. With heartfelt gratitude to all those who attended on the evening, without your support we would not be able to work to give hope and create change.
"We had no idea what brain cancer meant, we just couldn’t believe that something this horrible could even exist. We didn’t expect it in that moment our world as we knew it was totally turned upside down.”
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Having a Christmas Lights Display was a vision and initiative originally created by Dainere in 2012 and one she asked to be continued to bring the gift of joy and Christmas Spirit whilst elevating awareness and raising funds for vital research for paediatric brain tumours.
Many, many hours of dedicated and selfless effort took place to create the 2017 Dainere’s Rainbow Christmas Wonderland Lights Display. Although faced with some wild weather huge crowds of people attended the Lights Displays. With gratitude to My Gungahlin, The Canberra Weekly, Christmas Light Search and Riot ACT for their wonderful promotion of the lights display and to those who attended and spread the word about the lights. Gratitude is also humbly extended to Alba and Bronwyn for their generous and incredible contributions of the most unique and treasured gift and craft items for the Stall.
It was so wonderful to be able to speak to and hand out many information packs and let people know how they can help make a difference. It was extremely heart-warming the number of people who took a genuine interest which is certain to elevate a greater awareness of paediatric brain tumours within the Community.
The children and adults who visited loved been greeted by Santa Claus, who handed out special Dainere’s Rainbow Activity Books, Stickers, Magnets and Candy Canes as well as smiling for many Santa Photographs throughout the display. Seeing families walk amongst the display showing awe and excitement, the enjoyment on children’s faces of pulling out a wonderful surprise in the lucky dips, adults and children walking away so pleased and proudly clutching a gift purchased from the stall and the multitude of splendiferous photographs taken; it was truly wondrous to see.
One of the most precious gifts of the lights display was seeing the joy, togetherness and enormous smiles the lights brought to young and old. That is something when Dainere created her lights display in 2012 wanted to give to the Community, the true spirit of Christmas. We are so proud to continue this legacy to honour Dainere and are pretty sure the lights sparkled brightly all the way to heaven.
Last, but not least, we wish to thank all those in the Community who visited our Christmas Light Display, it is through your support that together we are able to give hope, contribute to research to improve outcomes, see treatments with less devastating side effects, elevate awareness and work towards the dream of one day seeing a cure become a reality.
There are some marvellous plans for the 2018 Christmas Lights Display ones that will see many new and special surprises.
Christmas Fundraising Total $2703.10
"If you give to others freely and lovingly then your heart is filled with light and joy and your life is more blessed” – Dainere Anthoney 2010
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We are so blessed and honoured to be working with some of the most incredible people every day as we work to continue Dainere’s Legacy and her inspirational, selfless and tireless advocacy to elevate awareness and significant funds for research so no other children suffer and lose their young lives to this insidious disease as she did.
Mark Scarborough, a Gungahlin local, is one of five finalists in the Alliance Bank Do Good Awards. The Awards serve to recognise people who go above and beyond to support their local communities.
Described by others as selfless, Mark and his wife moved to Gungahlin, ACT in 2005. Not long after he started My Gungahlin, a website designed to share news and information within the Region, so the community could feel more connected and ultimately reach out and support others.
The site is a resounding success: their social media following, and engagement has exploded over the last four years, the site is now recognised and respected in the area and within Canberra. This has enabled Mark to establish a network of like-minded individuals and build a real sense of community. Today he is an active participant and fundraiser in a range of community events and charities and an enabler that rallies others to get involved.
One of the first causes Mark put his mind to was JDRF’s Jump to Cure, a fundraiser to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. The event focuses on raising money and awareness for Type 1 Diabetes through skydiving. Mark did this for three years and then put a team together from Gungahlin to take part in the challenge.
‘This was personally rewarding because it forced me to step outside my comfort zone and face a fear. It was great fun and we raised lots of money in the meantime,’ says Mark.
He has also taken part in the 24-hour treadmill challenge to support Mental Health awareness. Most recently he has directed his energies to the Dainere’s Rainbow Brain Tumour Research Fund that raises awareness and funds for paediatric brain tumour research.
Of Dainere Mark says, ‘She was a courageous, selfless and inspiring young woman who worked passionately and tirelessly during her short life to elevate significant awareness and raise vital funds for paediatric brain tumours.’
Over the last two years Mark has helped the foundation through raising money by running the City2Surf with her brother Jarrett, including the City Run Series across four states. He is also the official Ambassador for Dainere’s Rainbow Brain Tumour Research Fund.
His tireless energy has seen him awarded the local Rotary Steve Bell Award acknowledging his exceptional contribution to the local community. Mark is also quick to share the spotlight with other locals that are doing their bit to make a difference; the Anthoney and Wills families raise money and awareness for paediatric brain tumour research and countless individuals within the community support others in need including local community and sporting groups. The small business community is also very active and work extremely hard in the region.
Mark is a firm believer that, ‘Sometimes it is the smallest gesture that has the biggest impact’ because in his experience so many positive stories are small gestures that make a huge difference to someone.
Mark and his wife are trying to build a positive online community that will spill over into the real world through small gestures, because they know that if everyone gets involved, even in the smallest of ways, the world will be a much better place.
"People don’t like to associate terminal diseases with children because to think that a child is dying is simply incomprehensible”.
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Every child deserves a chance of a future and it is only through increased awareness and vital Community support that crucial research projects and programs can be undertaken to offer new hope and the best chance of cure with minimal treatment side effects for future generations of Australian children and their families.
- Be proactive using social media and verbal communication to elevate crucial awareness in the Community
- Make a once off or regular donation to a fund like Dainere’s Rainbow where 100% of all funds raised go towards research and other programs to support paediatric brain cancer
- Email your Local Government MLA and your representative within the Federal Government asking them to support awareness and funding to be directed to paediatric brain tumour research
- You are welcome to contact us if you would like to volunteer at a Dainere’s Rainbow Event.
- Contact the Dainere’s Rainbow Team if you would like to organise your own fundraising event to support the fund.
- If you are a Business Owner, please consider donating goods or services for auctions/raffle prizes or join the Dainere’s Rainbow Team as a Partner for one of our fundraising events.
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| March |
Sorbet Autumn Fashion Parade |
| April |
Burgmann School Fair |
| May |
Brain Cancer Awareness Month |
| June |
Spooktacular Gala Dinner |
| August |
City2Surf |
| September |
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (Gold Ribbon) |
| December |
Christmas Lights Display |
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When people hear the word “scary” or “spooky” they may first think of monsters, clowns, maybe even sharks. Or perhaps one’s mind would go to what they fear; a fear of the dark, a fear of heights, a fear of small spaces or a fear of spiders. All these things I have mentioned, and more are indeed things which can easily scare people. Yet people seem to so easily overlook something so vicious and cruel in this world which is truly terrifying.
Imagine you are a child again. Now imagine persistent vomiting of a morning, poor balance and co-ordination, unexplained weight loss or gain and abnormal eye movements and blurred or double vision have all become a part of your every day. Imagine getting told by a doctor that these are all some of the symptoms of a brain tumour and that you do in fact have a brain tumour. Imagine going through long surgeries and endless chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments which give you both short and long-term side effects and not to forget the never-ending blood transfusions and tests. Imagine after all these treatments and procedures still being told you will not survive and that your brain tumour will be taking your life seemingly before it has even begun.
If you are like me, it is impossible to even begin to imagine what that is like. Through the 4 years Dainere battled with her brain tumour, I watched her in awe as she went through every day, no matter how bad she was feeling, with such courage, strength and always a smile on her face.
Brain tumours are the most common form of solid tumours amongst children. Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease. The survival rates for brain cancer are low and have hardly changed in over 30 years. This is what is truly terrifying. I don’t think anybody could not fear the facts of childhood brain tumours. But I am not saying all this to scare you, I am here to remind everyone how important it is to raise awareness and funds for Paediatric Brain Tumours.
So, if brain cancer likes to scare us, why can’t we give it a scare back for once?!
Make sure you come along next year because you will not want to miss our Spooktacular dinner. Feel free to dress as creepy, kooky, mysterious or spooky as you like, to raise awareness and funds to work towards scaring brain cancer away!
~ Jarrett Anthoney
If you are a business owner or individual who would like to support this event as a Major Partner or would like to make a donation of an item, voucher or other as a Community Partner please contact the Dainere’s Rainbow Team at daineresrainbow@gmail.com and we would love to organise to meet with you or arrange for you to receive a 2018 Partnership Prospectus.
"Brain Cancer is a confronting topic, but we can’t afford to turn our backs and step away: we need to stand tall and united, speak out and raise our voices to educate, give knowledge and elevate awareness".
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Corporate Community Partners
  
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