Children from the city have pledged to add 200 free beds to Tata Medical Center in Rajarhat by raising funds through high school-level competitions.
Their efforts, as part of a group called SRK’s Koel Brigade, will complement the fundraising drive undertaken by Shah Rukh Khan for the hospital.
Principals and students of nine schools, including St. Xavier’s, St. James’, Modern High and La Martiniere for Boys and Girls, met on Sunday to fine-tune the initiative and discuss ways to spread cancer awareness.
“The schools that attended the meeting decided that photography, short film-making, Facebook page designing and PowerPoint presentation creation competitions will be organised. They will start later in the year, after these students visit more schools and involve them in the project,” said Geeta Gopalakrishnan, director (donor relationships), Tata Medical Center.
The Rs 3,000 entry fee for each of these competitions will be used to help the hospital offer the free beds. Students are expected to find sponsors to fund their participation in the competitions.
Shah Rukh, who lost his parents to cancer, was ready to contribute to the project when Gopalakrishnan told him about it during an IPL match this year.
“He asked us to use his photos for the campaign and promised any other help that we might want later,” said Gopalakrishnan.
Last month, the hospital started the “My Name is Khan, Help Me If You Khan” campaign, which shows Shah Rukh asking people to buy “bricks” of the hospital for Rs 1,000 each and contribute to its expansion, to cost around Rs 100 crore.
Koel, the girl who lends her name to the fundraiser group, is a 13-year-old cancer patient from the state who underwent treatment at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in Mumbai.
“Her father too had cancer. Her brother had to quit school and her family had to sell off land to fund their treatment. We have used Koel’s story in an ad film and her name, along with SRK’s, in the project,” said Gopalakrishnan.
According to records at the Mumbai hospital, almost 90 per cent of cancer patients they treat are from eastern India. Many of them hail from Bengal, underscoring the need for better cancer treatment facilities here.
“Not only is the treatment beyond the means of many, they have to live in a different city, further increasing the burden. On many occasions, patients have to discontinue treatment midway because of a lack of funds,” said.
To encourage students, the hospital will award a Tata Nano each to the four schools whose students will win the four competitions. Another Nano will be given to the school that buys the most “bricks”.
The principals and students of the schools that attended Sunday’s programme also discussed ideas for long-term cancer awareness and fund raising, including concerts and donation boxes at annual sports and school fests
Thanks- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110818/jsp/calcutta/story_14379622.jsp
~~Long Live Shahrukh Khan
Their efforts, as part of a group called SRK’s Koel Brigade, will complement the fundraising drive undertaken by Shah Rukh Khan for the hospital.
Principals and students of nine schools, including St. Xavier’s, St. James’, Modern High and La Martiniere for Boys and Girls, met on Sunday to fine-tune the initiative and discuss ways to spread cancer awareness.
“The schools that attended the meeting decided that photography, short film-making, Facebook page designing and PowerPoint presentation creation competitions will be organised. They will start later in the year, after these students visit more schools and involve them in the project,” said Geeta Gopalakrishnan, director (donor relationships), Tata Medical Center.
The Rs 3,000 entry fee for each of these competitions will be used to help the hospital offer the free beds. Students are expected to find sponsors to fund their participation in the competitions.
Shah Rukh, who lost his parents to cancer, was ready to contribute to the project when Gopalakrishnan told him about it during an IPL match this year.
“He asked us to use his photos for the campaign and promised any other help that we might want later,” said Gopalakrishnan.
Last month, the hospital started the “My Name is Khan, Help Me If You Khan” campaign, which shows Shah Rukh asking people to buy “bricks” of the hospital for Rs 1,000 each and contribute to its expansion, to cost around Rs 100 crore.
Koel, the girl who lends her name to the fundraiser group, is a 13-year-old cancer patient from the state who underwent treatment at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital in Mumbai.
“Her father too had cancer. Her brother had to quit school and her family had to sell off land to fund their treatment. We have used Koel’s story in an ad film and her name, along with SRK’s, in the project,” said Gopalakrishnan.
According to records at the Mumbai hospital, almost 90 per cent of cancer patients they treat are from eastern India. Many of them hail from Bengal, underscoring the need for better cancer treatment facilities here.
“Not only is the treatment beyond the means of many, they have to live in a different city, further increasing the burden. On many occasions, patients have to discontinue treatment midway because of a lack of funds,” said.
To encourage students, the hospital will award a Tata Nano each to the four schools whose students will win the four competitions. Another Nano will be given to the school that buys the most “bricks”.
The principals and students of the schools that attended Sunday’s programme also discussed ideas for long-term cancer awareness and fund raising, including concerts and donation boxes at annual sports and school fests
Thanks- http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110818/jsp/calcutta/story_14379622.jsp
~~Long Live Shahrukh Khan
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