Local Business Owner's Donation Helps Raise $10,000 for Families Battling Cancer

A New Plymouth business owner who lost his mother, father and grandfather to cancer has contributed to an initiative which has raised $10,000 for local teenagers suffering from cancer.

Phil Andrews, who owns Domino’s in Fitzroy, provided $200 worth of pizza prizes to this year’s raffle for the Bandanna Challenge, which sees Kiwis donate to cancer sufferers by purchasing bandannas.

This is the second year Andrews has supported the fundraising efforts of CanTeen Taranaki. CanTeen is a national charity that supports young people living with cancer through events and donations.

It is his own personal experience of the devastating impact of cancer which has prompted Andrews to reach out to local families facing the disease.

“I understand how impacting it is when the disease enters your life,” he says.

“That is what motivates me to extend my support to other families – I want to let them know that help is out there and that the community is behind them.”

Youth Worker at CanTeen Taranaki, Lauree Tito, says the charity is thrilled to have the ongoing support of Andrews and his business.
“Along with many other supporting organisations, Domino’s has enabled us to reach an amazing target of over $10,000 in income for CanTeen,” she says.

“The team at CanTeen Taranaki is hugely grateful to Phil for his continuous support. You rock!”

The Domino’s store supplied 14 pizza vouchers for spot prizes to be used at raffles at a quiz afternoon run for the Bandanna Challenge. Last year the company provided the charity with 20 pizzas for local prizes.

Andrews, 48, says that supporting other families through CanTeen helps him to heal following the loss of his family members to cancer.

“I struggled immensely when I lost my family members to the disease. It was missing out on the chance to make amazing memories that I found the most difficult; such as meeting my granddad, watching my father play with my five-year-old son and celebrating my wedding day with my parents,” he says.

“Making contact with local families battling cancer and giving them as much support as I can helps me to move on and use my experience for good.”