Over $1.5m raised for Breast Cancer Care WA
Steel Blue and Breast Cancer Care WA partnership hits $1.5M milestone!
Fourteen years after the first purple fundraising boot rolled off the Steel Blue production line, the unique charity initiative has hit the $1.5M mark in aid of Breast Cancer Care WA.
Laid out one after the other, the 300,000 purple and pink boots sold by the country’s favourite work boot brand would circle Perth’s Optus Stadium 114 times.
While the sheer numbers are staggering, the contribution the pink and purple boots have made to women journeying with breast cancer stretches even further.
“It has been an absolute privilege to turn our tough, workwear staple into a colourful, talking-point boot that not only gives back to the community, but also raises awareness of breast cancer,” Steel Blue Boots Chief Sales Officer and Founding Director Ross Fitzgerald said (pictured).
Each pair of pink or purple boots sold in aid of Breast Cancer Care WA comes with a shower tag reminding women to know their breasts through regular self examination.
“We thank all of our distributors and everyone who has bought a pair of our Steel Blue pink or purple boots. Their choice of footwear has provided counselling, breast care nurses and financial support for thousands of families affected by breast cancer.”
The Steel Blue purple boot was born in 2007 after a chance meeting between the Board and Breast Cancer Care WA founder Dr Ros Worthington OAM. “They were asked if Steel Blue made ladies’ work boots and when he said yes, I piped up asking if he could make purple boots. My next big idea was already forming!” Dr Worthington said. “Everyone thought I was crazy. But never one to be daunted by negativity and with the help of Steel Blue’s amazing marketing team, the purple, steel toe boot fundraiser became a reality.”
The perfectly pink ladies work boot quickly followed, spotted everywhere from mine sites and construction sites, to farms, factories and warehouses. “I’m tickled pink that what was a chance conversation at an awards dinner has ended up helping so many families,” Dr Worthington said.
Key Breast Cancer Care WA initiatives funded by the special Steel Blue boots include:
- a full-time Support Service Coordinator helping around 1,000 clients a year
- a PhD research project to develop a national online community supporting people affected by breast cancer
- a youth education program and online awareness campaigns to help dispel outdated myths about breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Care WA CEO, Zoe McAlpine, said ongoing partnerships are highly valued and make a real difference over the longer term. “We are enormously grateful to Steel Blue, their distributors and customers for their loyal support and for continuing to make the pink and purple boots that are catalysts for important conversations about breast cancer.”
