Check-out what Coles can do

For two weeks this year Coles stores around Melbourne were helping to ‘fill the gaps in brain cancer research’ by putting the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation front and center.

Coles Robert Connor Dawes Foundation 2016

Beginning in 2014 as a collaboration between the RCD Foundation, one of Connor’s best friends and Coles Sandringham, the Coles campaign has seen an astronomical rise to become one of our biggest fundraising campaigns of the year.

  • 2014: Connor’s good mate Ben Stonier approached Coles in Sandringham and asked if they would be interested in running a fundraising campaign for the RCD Foundation. For one week the store put up a giant brain display and encouraged customers to by a brainheart to help ‘fill the gaps in brain cancer research’. In one week, one store raised over $2000.
  • 2015: The campaign expands to six stores around Bayside. Each store is dominated by the RCD display and customers are again able to by either a $2, $5 or $10 brainheart to show their support. Collectively, the stores raise $25,000 to combat pediatric brain cancer.
  • 2016: This year has been the biggest and best yet. 27 stores around Melbourne have been involved and thousands of customers have been filling the brain displays with love, raising a massive $77 000

It is true that from little things, big things grow. Not only has the amount of money raised, and stores involved increased, but the creativeness and spirit of Coles has climbed each year. Emma Lilley from Coles Hampton created new ways to raise money and spread the word about brain cancer.

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“The most engaging activity we had was the Cadbury chocolate boxes, which the team took home to sell to their family and friends. This created a whole new network of people that we are able to share Connors story and raise funds and awareness for paediatric brain cancer.”

This year also featured a Coles Benefit Dinner for the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation.

“Seeing 215 Coles team members from 14 stores and across head office and operations was an inspiration to continue fundraising, there was so much kindness in the room, so many people willing to give whatever they could to help a family achieve their goal for their son and many other children and young adults suffering from paediatric brain cancer.” – Emma Lilley

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Liz Dawes, Emma Lilley & Scott Dawes

We are blown away by the support of Coles and would like to thank every manager who go their store involved, staff member who encouraged customers to support the charity and every person who supported the campaign in any way. We cannot wait to see whats in store for 2017!