Tickled pink

Bridgestone’s cheque for R1 million is the biggest once-off donation ever received by the breast cancer charity PinkDrive. This was revealed at the official handover of the cheque to Noelene Kotschan, founder of PinkDrive, at a breakfast function at Emperors Palace.

Kotshan points out that the R1 million will have a huge impact on the services PinkDrive is able to deliver. “It’s the equivalent of three months’ running costs,” she explains. “We provide 480 mammograms a month and educate ten times more women in breast health. This is a huge donation, the single biggest cash donation we’ve ever received,” she adds. “I’m so grateful to Bridgestone and the motorists who did their bit by buying the pink valve caps.”

The funds were raised from members of the public who bought sets of pink valve caps at Bridgestone outlets for R50 each. The company funded the cost of the caps and donated the entire purchase price to PinkDrive.

Bridgestone promotions manager, Jan Maritz, says the response from the public has been overwhelming. “When we first launched the pink valve cap project in October 2013, we were apprehensive about whether motorists would support such an unusual fundraiser,” he points out. “We needn’t have worried. With about 20 000 sets of valve caps sold, South Africa’s drivers have rallied behind the cause.”