Dear Lisa…

Dear Lisa,

Charity Dance Event | Feb 25

Dear Lisa, is a cancer charity event hosted by Act Now Speak Later.
It will feature the work of professionals in the dance industry, such as Eden Petrovski, Amy Campbell and Matthew Gode, as well as from leading studios across Sydney and Act Now Speak Later’s own talented dance ambassadors.
All profits made from this event will go directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Raffles for dancers and non-dancers alike will be available, including prizes from Capezio and other big brands. There will also be a cake stall to satisfy your sweet tooth, and a sausage sizzle before the show.

Act Now Speak Later was founded by Jessica Bowen in 2014 (at the age of 15) inspired by the passing of her mother (Lisa) in 2007 from lung cancer; even though she had never smoked in her life! Having danced since the age of 7, her dance family became a huge part of her support during and after her mum’s illness. As she grew up, Jess felt a growing desire to create something where she could combine her love for dance to raise money and awareness for cancer.
Over the past four years, ACSL has raised over $22,500. This money goes to charities which do research and support families with all types of cancer, such as Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, National Breast Cancer Foundation, Lung Cancer Network Australia and Love Your Sister.
Through personal experience, Jess began the project to inspire the dance community to use their talents in order to raise awareness and funds for different cancer foundations in order to bring help to a variety of cancer patients and their families. To do so, the aim is to hold workshops, concerts, seminars – everything to do with dance, with all profit going towards a current charity that we support.
We asked Jess a few questions…
Q: Why did you start this program? And is this ‘Dear Lisa’ a new event that takes your ANSL in a new direction?
Jess: In July of 2007 I lost my Mum after she fought 18 months of the most gruelling experience with lung cancer. I live by the quote that ‘everything happens for a reason’, and I believe this horrifying point of my past was placed in my life to spark a motivation inside me to raise awareness and funds for cancer. So that’s exactly what I did at the age of 15. I birthed my project ‘Act Now Speak Later’ as a way of combining my love for dance with raising awareness and money for not just lung cancer, but all types of cancer.
Our event Dear Lisa, is not the first dance event we have held, however it is the only large scale event we have created, with the opportunity for over 200 people to attend. We hope that if we have enough interest, this will allow us to do more events in the future that are like this.
Q: What has been the response from the industry and public to ANSL?
Jess: When we first created our project, within the first year we had generated over 7000 thousand followers. Throughout the years we have gained support from countries across the world. We have had some amazing support from the industry since day one, and it has allowed us to continue doing what we do for so long.
Q: How does it make you feel to see your program grow over the years and where/what would you ultimately like to see it achieve?
Jess: I often feel extremely grateful and overwhelmed by the opportunity I have created for myself to make such a huge difference. I do not give myself ANY of the money that I raise, because there is nothing greater than the gift of giving. It is worth so much of a sacrifice to know that I am making people smile, and bringing the world one bit closer to a cure. I ultimately see myself continuing to hold these events across the years, and giving my project a bigger name to provide a better platform to raise money. I would also love to allow these events to be held across the globe. It’s my hope that I can continue this for as many years as possible, and if it comes to the time, I would like to pass it on to someone else who I know can keep the project going.
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