Welcome to the DT38 Foundation April newsletter, Channel38.
This is where we bring together all the very latest developments, events and support stories at DT38.
It’s also a chance for us to share important information about the work we do to raise awareness of testicular cancer around schools and in communities as well as publicly offering our thanks to the many people who support us in our endeavours.
Our Work to Get Through Coronavirus (Covid-19)
It has been reported that in the UK alone – let alone Australia – the first 12 weeks of the Government’s social distancing restrictions has caused a loss of £4.3 billion in lost revenue to the charity sector
Like many other charities DT38 relies entirely upon donations and fundraising events to carry out our work of protecting men and boys by raising awareness of the risks of testicular cancer.
Because of this terrible crisis, which is tragically taking the lives of loved ones and affecting the lives and livelihoods of so many people, we have experienced the cancellation of eight fundraising events over the next three months.
As a response we launched two new fundraising initiatives in the month of April and are currently working on plans for further activities for the weeks ahead.
3.80 Funding Appeal
On April 18th – six years to the day since we said goodbye to our beloved Dylan Tombides – we launched the 3.80 Funding Appeal following a tough period for our charity caused by Covid-19.
Through the 3.80 Funding Appeal, we are asking if you can help DT38 and men and boys everywhere by making a donation of £3.80 (UK) or $3.80 (AUS) in support of our work this year. We would also be very grateful for donations from anywhere else in the world.
Since launching the appeal we have raised a fantastic £2,679 or $5,148 AUD (as of 28/04/20).
Our target is £8,000 or $15,000 and we’re launching a number of online activities including signing up to 2.6 Challenge in an effort to reach our target.
For the past five years we have continued to support men and boys in the UK, Australia and elsewhere through education and awareness on how to protect themselves and have stressed the need for checking for any abnormalities on your testis on the first of every month.
It is more important than ever, during the Coronavirus outbreak, that males take notice of our campaign because our health services are so drastically stretched because of this terrible virus.
You can donate now here:
UK & Rest of World: https://virginmoneygiving.com/fund/dt38fundingappeal
Australia https://dt38.giveeasy.org/380-funding-appeal
Tracy Tombides, mother of Dylan, said: “Whilst we continue to work tirelessly to raise awareness and educate the male population about testicular cancer, as a charity we are entirely reliant upon fundraising and donations and we have sadly experienced a dramatic fall in income recently because of the pandemic.
“We have cancelled several exciting fundraising events and, understandably, many people have turned their attentions elsewhere during this very difficult time.
“We want to say a huge thanks to everyone for your unwavering support and generous donations over the past five years. By continuing to work together in the UK, Australia and further afield we can continue to keep our men and boys safe.
“Our mission for the next five years appeared to be straightforward, but now our priority has turned to focus on reaching the 6th anniversary in February 2021. We can only achieve this with your financial support. We want to continue to reach as many people as possible and to encourage men to check themselves down under on a monthly basis.
“In support of this we launched our Check 1-Two Campaign and it couldn’t be easier. On the first of every month remember to give yourselves a quick check down under.
“Why not put a reminder in your phone?
“Of course, here at DT38 we’re going to be working hard to remind people because we know that self checking save lives – if you catch testicular cancer early you have a much better chance of survival or less complications.”
2.6 Challenge for DT38
We appealed to our supporters and the public far and wide to join us in he #TwoPointSixChallenge in support of DT38.
Created by the team behind the London Marathon, the 2.6 Challenge took place on Sunday, the day the famous 26.2 race should have taken place.
Fundraisers were invited to take on a personal physical challenge (which was socially distancing compliant) using the numbers 2.6 and 26 for inspiration.
Example activities included a 26 minute bike ride, non-stop laps of your garden for 26 minutes and wearing 26 items of clothing for 26 minutes.
DT38 was official charity for the event and our fundraisers didn’t let us down.
We were delighted to that DT38 Ambassador and Ipswich Town FC striker Freddie Sears 2 hour cycling challenge for our charity, hats off Freddie.
Our social media guy Iain Johnson has so far raised around £400 for DT38 by attempting to perform a 2-3 minute speech by William Shakespeare in 26 seconds or less.
We’re aware there are others who took part in the event for DT38 and we’ll be sharing their stories soon.
You can find out how Iain got on here: https://youtu.be/i4yaMGUuujw
You can still sponsor Iain for his effort here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/IainJohnson11
Find out more about this event here https://www.twopointsixchallenge.co.uk
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us in the 2.6 Challenge, you’re all amazing.
Support DT38 at our Online Shop
Of course the Coronavirus has had a significant impact upon everyone.
A large part of DT38’s fundraising comes from events we run throughout the year, as well as from individuals, companies and organisations who undertake fundraising initiatives to support our campaign to raise awareness of testicular cancer.
If you would like to continue supporting DT38 we do still accept direct donations via our website or you could make a purchase through our online store here: https://dt38foundation.myshopify.com
Thank you so much for any support you can give.
Check 1-Two Campaign Launch Reminder
In case you missed it, we marked the 5th anniversary of DT38 in February with the launch of a new and exciting campaign to encourage men and boys to check their testicles regularly.
Spearheaded by a team of big names from the world of football, Check 1-Two is an important new regular event to educate males to be safe in the nether regions by carrying out a simple check on the first day of every month.
Whether you’re in the shower, in bed, at home on the sofa or anywhere else suitably private, it only takes a couple of minutes to examine your balls.
And keeping an eye (or hand to be totally accurate) on your nuts could save your life, so it really is minimal effort for maximum peace of mind.
Of course, if you are checking yourself on the first of every month (as is the mantra of Check 1-Two) and you notice a pea sized lump, pain or discomfort that you cannot explain then you should book into your GP as soon as possible and insist on an ultrasound scan.
Tracy Tombides, co-founder of DT38, is the brains behind the campaign.
She said: “Check 1-Two couldn’t be easier. On the first of every month remember to give yourselves a quick check down under.
“Why not put a reminder in your phone?
“Of course, here at DT38 we’re going to be working hard to remind people because we know that self checking save lives – if you catch testicular cancer early you have a much better chance of survival or less complications.
“And girls, you have a part to play too. Remind your husbands, partners, sons, brothers, dads and grandads and friends that they need to have a grab on the first of every month, just remember Check 1-Two”.
Many Happy Returns
A super seven happy birthdays were celebrated among the DT38 gang this month in the safety of their homes.
DT38 Director and Auntie of Dylan Tombides, Karen Bondi, marked her big day on the 1st and on the 7th West Ham midfielder (on loan as Charlton Athletic) Josh Cullen (DT38 Ambassador) was 24.
On April 11th Avondale FC forward Liam Boland (DT38 Ambassador) turned 28 and it was a double celebration on the 12th with Pohang Steelers midfielder Brandon O’Neill (DT38 Ambassador) was 26 and testicular cancer survivor and aspiring sports journalist Rhys Ryan (DT38 Ambassador) turned a year older.
A day later Luton Town full back Dan Potts (DT38 Ambassador) was 26 and on the 21st former Perth Glory midfielder Jacob Burns (DT38 Ambassador) turned 42.
Many Happy Returns one and all!
Picture of the Month
We receive plenty of inspiring images each month from people across the globe showing their support for DT38 and just for fun (no prizes), we give ourselves the difficult decision of picking our “Picture of the Month”.
This month’s winner offers a romantic reminder of the sort of pleasure we might be able to look forward to once this is all over. Here is lovely DT38 supporter Kellie Dove on a sandy St Lucia beach shortly before this crisis struck.
Things are unusually difficult right now, but one day we will once again enjoy the freedoms and pleasures of life in the great outdoors.
Sharing the Love
We are so grateful to more than 35,000 people who follow and support us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Every month we receive so many shares, Retweets, likes and tags and we’re so grateful for each and every one of them, thank you.
And that brings to end this edition but we’ll be back with the next edition of Channel38 in May.If you have helped DT38 in some way in recent times, please be sure to let us know so we can include it in one of our future newsletters. Contact tracylee@dt38.org or connect with us on Twitter Facebook or Instagram.