Hearts in harmony for loving charity

NOT-for-profit Twin Hearts is partnering with national cancer charity Love Your Sister to deliver two fundraising events next month.

An evening with Love Your Sister founder and former Victorian of the Year Samuel Johnson OAM will be held at Ballarat Trades Hall on Friday, 24 June at 6.30pm.

The Gold Logie Award-winning actor is set to share stories from his life, career, and experience leading the organisation which sparked from his late sister Connie Johnson’s cancer diagnosis.

Love Your Sister donates 100 per cent of funds raised to cancer research, and encourages women to monitor their breast health.

“Cancer is the last true riddle of our times, and we know that it can only be solved with hard science,” he said.

“Despite Federal funding remaining static for a decade, Australia still boasts the best clinical results for breast cancer in the whole world.

“We are the best with less. Imagine what we could do with more?”

A Love Your Sister Family Fun Day will run on Sunday, 26 June from 10am to 3pm at the Ballarat Greyhound Racing Club, with all-ages activities, live music, stalls, and food.

Mr Johnson also be there and will announce the total funds raised.

Twin Hearts founder and president Kelly-Louise Austin said the committee of 14 “passionate, hardworking” local volunteers have all been personally impacted by cancer and admire the mission of Love Your Sister.

Partnering with them in recent years has been a “no-brainer.” Twin Hearts raised $10,000 at their inaugural Love Your Sister Ball in 2019, and now in their fifth year of operation, the committee are in the process of planning their next gala night.

“For each local cause or charity that we raise funds for, we also match with a sister charity in Tanzania to donate a portion of the raised funds,” Ms Austin said.

“I have spent time working and living in Kenya and Tanzania, and I am extremely passionate about helping to break the poverty cycle for women and children around the world, and Twin Hearts is my way of doing so.”

Mr Johnson will visit Ballarat as part of a broader Love Your Sister national tour of fundraising events.

Tickets for An Evening with Samuel Johnson are $30 and can be purchased at bit.ly/39RshGy. Entry to the Family Fun Day is free.

Twin Hearts are seeking more market stallholders and food vendors. Contact [email protected].