The Baby Expo Helps CHOC - please go and visit the expo!!

THE BABY EXPO HELPS CHOC

Johannesburg, 20 April 2008, The Baby Expo, Africa’s largest baby and parenting exhibition, today announced that CHOC the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa would be their main beneficiary for their 2009 expos.

“Every year as part of our corporate social investment programme, we get involved with a charity. This year we have decided to team up with the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC) and make a difference in the lives of children and their parents around the country who are affected by cancer,” explains Projeni Pather, Exhibition Director of The Baby Expo.

Since their inception in 2004, The Baby Expo has helped a number of charities including Cotlands, Topsy Foundation, NOAH, UNICEF, Reach for a Dream, Thathisandla, South African Breast Milk Reserve (SABR) and Pet Punkies. As part of their support of CHOC this year, The Baby Expo will be donating 5% of all tickets sold for this year’s expos in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Funds raised will go to the direct benefit of the children and families involved with CHOC.

“We are extremely happy and excited to be involved with The Baby Expo this year. The shows are a great platform to reach and educate parents and we are grateful to be able to become a beneficiary of such a great show,” says Arlene Zlotnick, Johannesburg Fundraiser for CHOC.

Pather elaborated on the company's reasons for choosing CHOC as this year's beneficiary, “We felt that CHOC would be an excellent match for our expos; events which aim to help and educate parents and children on a variety of issues and topics. We are proud to be able to make a difference in this way on behalf of all parents that visit our expos."

CHOC is a country wide voluntary organisation. It brings together the parents of children who suffer from all varieties of cancer or life threatening blood disorders. The goal of this dedicated group is to improve the welfare and quality of care for children with cancer, and their families. The organisation provides direct practical help to children with cancer, from diagnosis on; recognising the inevitable disruption to family life when a child faces vigorous and often lengthy treatment.

The Baby Expo is the proud brain child of Pather, who created the brand in 2005 under the name of the Your Baby Show™. Since then the Expo has had a name change and grown from just The Baby Expo Johannesburg to include The Baby Expo Durban and The Baby Expo Cape Town, each highly successful in their own right. The Baby Expo is the largest baby and child focused expo in Africa and creates the perfect environment to learn about pregnancy, being a great parent and building a wholesome, active lifestyle for your family, all while having a fun day out.

“We are looking forward raising maximum funds for CHOC and their initiatives. We wish to encourage our visitors to do their part by buying tickets to the shows so that we can donate to CHOC on their behalf,’ concludes Pather.

For more information on The Baby Expo, visit their website at www.thebabyexpo.co.za.

Upcoming Baby Expo dates are:

14 – 17 May 2009 at the Coca Cola Dome in Johannesburg
28 – 30 August 2009 at the Durban ICC
30 October - 1 November at the CTICC in Cape Town