France Cancer donates €20,000 to Nice researchers
The Var-Est branch of the France Cancer association presented a €20,000 check, from cork collecting, to researchers in Nice.
Citizen mobilization in support of scientific research has once again demonstrated its strength. During a ceremony organized at the Maison des associations, the Var-Est branch of France Cancer, led by Jean Savoldelli, presented a €20,000 check to two prominent researchers from CNRS and INSERM. This sum, collected over the past year, will support the work of the Laboratoire Phen-X Equipe Care of Nice, represented on this occasion by Valérie Pierrefitte-Carle and Georges Carle.
The event took place in the presence of a large audience, testifying to the local roots of this initiative. The mayor of Bormes-les-Mimosas, François Arizzi, was present alongside the vice-president of France Cancer, Jean Luc Baratin, as well as elected officials from the municipalities of Bormes-les-Mimosas and Le Lavandou, which are highly involved in this solidarity collection.
HUMAN CHAIN France Cancer was founded in 2003 in Cannes-la-Bocca, based on a simple but effective idea initiated by a couple of wigmakers sensitized by their clients suffering from the disease. The goal is to create a chain of solidarity to raise funds dedicated to research, by organizing the collection of corks, synthetic stoppers, and champagne caps.
Thanks to a network of local branches and the involvement of many volunteers, municipalities, schools, and businesses, it has been a great success. The figures illustrate the scale of this mobilization: over the last five years, more than 100 tons of corks, or about 25 million units, have been collected. This ecological and solidarity-based approach has enabled the association to donate more than 300,000 euros to research teams from CNRS and INSERM.
The sum of €20,000, presented this year, bears witness to the dynamism of the Var-Est sector. The France Cancer initiative is indeed relayed and amplified by the local community network. Several organizations have provided financial support, highlighting a remarkable synergy in the territory.
Among them, the Solidarita association (solidarity cloakroom), Handibou (plastic cap collection), the fishermen's association "Pointe du Gouron" and the hiking club "Découverte Pédestre Lavandou Bormes" (DPLB).
This concrete support, stemming from a simple gesture like collecting a bottle cork, thus finances cutting-edge research, transforming a collective effort into tangible hope for patients and their families. Proof that local solidarity can have a major impact on major public health challenges.
Francine MARIE (text and photo).
Francine MARIE (text and photo).