FROM THE TERRIFYING DARES TO THE HEART-WARMING GENEROSITY, THIS EVENT HAS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.

Every event we produce at Flying Ruby has its own kind of magic. Some are distinctive because of their sheer size, others because of their uniqueness, and some are simply intimate and elegant.

And then there’s the Children’s Cancer Institute’s Dare to Cure – a fundraising event that stands out on its own and has a very, very special place in my heart. Today, we produced our fifth CEO Dare to Cure event and to say it was extraordinary would be a complete understatement. CEOs and business leaders from across Australia met in Sydney at six o’clock this morning to face a fear, take on a dare and, at the same time, help fund researchers to one day cure all childhood cancer – the most worthy of all causes.

Globally, 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, and here in Australia we lose three young lives to cancer every week – more than any other disease. The Children’s Cancer Institute refuses to accept this harrowing statistic. As the only independent medical research institute in Australia wholly dedicated to curing childhood cancer, CCI’s mission is to save the lives of all children living with cancer. As they always say; “It’s not if. It’s when.”

DARING IS CARING

With this in mind, the Flying Ruby team rose before dawn (4am, to be exact) to arrive on site at Sydney’s Fleet Steps overlooking our city’s beautiful harbour. As the sun rose, we set up dares and prepared challenges as we waited in anticipation for 190 CEOs and business leaders, and all their spectators, to descend on the site at 6am.

Our dares this year were perfectly terrifying – just the way we like ‘em at Flying Ruby! There was the Athlete’s Ice Bath Challenge where CEOs were submerged in a tank full of ice-cold water for a full minute which, trust me, feels like a lot longer when you’re actually in it. There was the trusty, but no less scary, Walking On Fire & Glass Challenge, the always popular Brave Shave, the hilarious (for onlookers, not participants) Extreme Virtual Reality Challenge where participants stand on a plank looking down the face of a building 80 stories high, and the Extreme Fitness Challenge (er, I’ll pass). My favourites though would have to be the Snake Bath Challenge, which comprises of two pythons, by the way – one placed around the neck and one around the legs! – and this new year’s newest edition: The Bug’s Breakfast.

EVERY CENT COUNTS

YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON ALL THE INCREDIBLE WORK THE CHILDREN’S CANCER INSTITUTE DOES HERE.