THE MCGRATH FOUNDATION SEAS PINK WAVES OF SUPPORT

The McGrath Foundation hosted an exclusive evening with 80 of its supporters on board luxury cruise liner and floating lawn, Celebrity Solstice, an occasion to celebrate how far the McGrath Foundation has come on its pink voyage of placing McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia – and the support that is needed to continue.

Celebrity Cruises Australia Managing Director, Gavin Smith, is proud to continue Celebrity Solstice’s long-standing tradition of supporting breast cancer charities as each new ship introduced into the ‘Solstice Class’ has had a woman who has experienced breast cancer become the ship’s godmother. Over the last 5 years, the ‘Solstice Class’ has held a series of fundraising events in the USA and the UK, both onboard and ashore.

Sunset cocktails at the beautiful superliner’s Lawn Club set the tone for the one-of-a-kind evening.  Perched on the top deck of the luxury liner, guests took in dramatic views of the Sydney Opera House on one side and the Harbour Bridge on the other. Some got into the spirit by kicking off their shoes to feel the real grass under their feet, while others watched as a glass vase, in signature McGrath Foundation ‘hot’ pink, took shape under the skilful hands of Celebrity Solstice’s Corning Glass Museum glass artisans in the ship’s unique glass blowing studio. The resulting glass art piece was donated to the McGrath Foundation as part of the evening’s auction.

After the lawn party, guests made their way to the ship’s specialty dining restaurant, Tuscan Grille, where Foundation Friend and TV personality, Johanna Griggs, MC’ed as guests ate a sumptuous dinner, while The Voice finalist Darren Percival crooned soulful tunes to set off the magical night.

McGrath Foundation CEO, Kylea Tink, was thrilled to have the support of Celebrity Cruises as not only will the memories be shared by an exclusive group of supporters, the funds raised will go a long way to helping the McGrath Foundation achieve its mission of having a breast care nurse for every family experiencing breast cancer in Australia.

Celebrity Cruises also donated a glass art piece and an 8-night Pacific Islands cruise on Celebrity Solstice to raise funds for the Foundation.

Celebrity Cruises has supported the cause of breast cancer since 2008 and is an official corporate partner of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (in America) in 2011. Guests sailing with Celebrity Cruises have the opportunity to make a difference during their holiday through a unique line-up of onboard experiences designed to help raise awareness and funds for the charity.

All Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice class ships (including Celebrity Solstice) have chosen Godmothers who not only have remarkable life achievements but also a great personal interest in the cause of breast cancer.    Last year, in a cruise industry first, Celebrity Cruises chose four of its own employees with strong ties to breast cancer to be joint Godmothers for its newest ship, Celebrity Reflection.

Alison Carmichael-Rulten

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