United in denim

THIS Friday is Jeans for Genes Day, where people across the nation unite in denim to help fight childhood disease.
Held on the first Friday of August, Jeans for Genes Day encourages everyone to wear denim to work, school or out and about to raise funds for research into birth defects and diseases such as cancer, epilepsy and a range of genetic disorders.
All money raised on the day is donated to help scientists at Children’s Medical Research Institute discover treatments and cures, to give every child the opportunity to live a long and healthy life.
One in 20 children is born with a congenital abnormality or genetic disease. That’s over 12,000 children born in Australia each year.
Even a small donation can make a difference. A gold coin will buy enough of the crucial enzyme needed to test the blood of one patient for aggressive types of cancer, while $5 will buy a plastic 96-in-one test tube to help CMRI scientists screen for 96 potential epilepsy drugs at once.
Originally started in the UK by two brothers with a genetic disorder in the 1990s, Jeans for Genes Day is now a worldwide fund-raising campaign.
To find out how you can donate, visit www.jeansforgenes.org.au.