Displaying bras to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer

Bras Around the Building campaign underway now in Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes until October 23

Denise Vallee, one of the organizers of the Bras Around the Building campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer. The bra collection campaign kicks off on September 25 and continues until October 23, when donated bras will be strung around two radio station buildings in Peterborough and Lindsay. (Photo courtesy of Denise Vallee)
Denise Vallee, one of the organizers of the Bras Around the Building campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer. The bra collection campaign kicks off on September 25 and continues until October 23, when donated bras will be strung around two radio station buildings in Peterborough and Lindsay. (Photo courtesy of Denise Vallee)

The fifth annual “Bras Around the Building” campaign, where women donate their bras to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, kicks off today and continues through October.

The campaign culminates on Friday, October 23rd, when the donated bras will be strung around the outside of the Energy 99.7/Country 105 building in Peterborough and the 91.9 BOB FM building in Lindsay.

From now until Thursday, October 22nd, women in Peterborough and the Kawarthas are encouraged to drop off their gently used bras to one of the following locations:

  • Energy 99.7/Country 105 (59 George St. N., Peterborough)
  • 91.9 BOB FM (249 Kent Street W., Lindsay)
  • OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs (1382 County Rd. 28, Fraserville)
  • Canadian Cancer Society of Peterborough and District (750 The Kingsway, Unit 2, Peterborough).

Additional drop-off locations are listed at country105.fm, energy997.ca and 919bobfm.com.

For every bra collected, OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs will make a $1 donation, with proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society to support breast cancer research. As well as bras, the campaign welcomes financial donations.

Organizer Denise Vallee (owner of Denise Vallee & Associates Inc. - The Co-operators) collecting toonies for Bras Around the Building at a recent meeting of the Women in Business Network in Peterborough. As well as bras, the campaign welcomes financial donations. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor)
Organizer Denise Vallee (owner of Denise Vallee & Associates Inc. – The Co-operators) collecting toonies for Bras Around the Building at a recent meeting of the Women in Business Network in Peterborough. As well as bras, the campaign welcomes financial donations. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor)
The Bras Around the Building campaign culminates on Friday, October 23 when donated bras will be displayed around the exterior of he Energy 99.7/Country 105 building in Peterborough and the 91.9 BOB FM building in Lindsay
The Bras Around the Building campaign culminates on Friday, October 23 when donated bras will be displayed around the exterior of he Energy 99.7/Country 105 building in Peterborough and the 91.9 BOB FM building in Lindsay
On the morning of Friday, October 23rd, the Peterborough Fire Services and Kawartha Lakes Fire & Rescue Service will help string the collected bras together around the exterior of the Energy 99.7/Country 105 building in Peterborough and the 91.9 BOB FM building in Lindsay.

There’ll also be a live broadcast from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. from the Energy 99.7/Country 105 studios at 58 George Street in downtown Peterborough.

The bras will remain on display until Monday, October 26th, as a symbol of support for women battling breast cancer, to honour survivors, and to remember those who have lost their battle.

Upon completion of the campaign, a cheque will be presented to the Peterborough and District Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research based on the final number of bras collected.

Last year’s Bras Around the Building campaign raised almost $12,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The donated bras will then be dry cleaned — courtesy of Ricky’s Cleaners in Peterborough and Cintas Uniform Services in Lindsay — and given to Bras for Congo, an organization that donates bras to women in hospitals in the Congo.