On Saturday, 17 October 2015, tattoo aficionados across South Africa will help raise funds for kids battling cancer and dispel society’s negative perceptions of people with ink, when they support the fourth annual Tattoo-a-thon in aid of CHOC Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa.

The Tattoo-a-thon was established after founder Jordan Gray lost his little friend, Gishmo, to cancer. Gray had been financially supporting Gishmo at the CHOC Tygerburg Lodge and was so devastated by his loss that he stopped volunteering at CHOC for two years. 

An engagement with a personal development course - coupled with his love of tattoos - motivated him to start the annual Tattoo-a-thon. Since its inaugural event in 2012, the Tattoo-a-thon has raised over half a million rand. 

CHOC is a nationwide organisation that provides holistic support for children suffering from cancer and life-threatening blood disorders as well as their families. The organisation also seeks to raise awareness of the importance of early disease detection. In South Africa, one in 600 children is affected by cancer before the age of 16. The encouraging news is that if diagnosed early, 70% to 85% of children can be cured. 

Participating is simple: visit the website at www.tattooathon.co.za and click on ‘Book a Tattoo’. Supporters will be able to browse through a list of participating tattoo studios in their city. Once they have chosen a studio that they like, booking a slot through the Quicket link at the bottom of the page is simple. All that is left to be done is turn up on Saturday, 17 October 2015, get inked and have fun doing it. The Tattoo-a-thon takes place in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nelspruit, Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Pietermaritzburg and Bloemfontein. 

There are also a number of of celeb ambassadors who are lending their support to the cause including DJ Fresh, DJ Catherine Grenfell, Kojo Baffoe, Sebastiaan Schutte and celeb tattoo artist, Thys Uys. 

CHOC is not government funded and as an NPO, donations and fund raising projects like the Tattoo-a-thon are the lifeblood of CHOC. “This year, we’re looking forward to hitting a record R300 000 fundraising target,” says Tattoo-a-thon founder Jordan Gray. “That’s R300 000 that CHOC can put to work saving young lives. I can’t think of a better way to spend my money. Can you?” 

For more information, visit www.tattooathon.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.