The RCN is mobilizing for Pink October and renewing its partnership with the association Les Roses du Gard

Steeve Calligaro, président du RCN aux côtés d’Hélène Milan, présidente des Roses du Gard. Midi Libre – Pierre Meuriot

En ce mois d’octobre, le Rugby Club Nîmois renouvelle son engagement auprès de l’association Les Roses du Gard, dédiée à l’accompagnement des personnes touchées par le cancer.

The Rugby Club Nîmois (RCN) is continuing its social commitment by joining forces for the second consecutive year with the Gard association Les Roses du Gard as part of Pink October, a breast cancer awareness campaign. This Saturday, October 12, on the occasion of the reception of the Rumilly club (9th) for the 6th day of National 2, several actions will be organized, of which all the profits will be entirely donated to the association.

Rugby, a societal actor

For Steeve Calligaro, president of the RCN, the social commitment of the club is obvious.“Rugby is a team sport, rooted in sharing and solidarity. Supporting causes as important as Pink October is a responsibility that we cannot ignore. Many of us have been affected, directly or indirectly, by cancer. It is a cause that is close to our hearts, and we want to put our light and our reputation at the service of this fight”, he stressed this Monday, October 7, during a press briefing organized at the Kaufmann stadium.

Last year, the auction of one of the jerseys reached 1,350 euros, an amount raised thanks to the jersey of number 12, center Robin Demars. This year again, the club hopes to mobilize and raise awareness among the public through this solidarity action. The Roses du Gard will also have a prevention stand on site, to inform and raise awareness among spectators throughout the match.

“Breast cancer kills 13,000 women per year”

With these two treatment centers opened in La Rouvière (2022) and more recently in Générac, the association Les Roses du Gard and its tireless president Hélène Milan are renewing their partnership with the RCN for this new Pink October campaign. Thanks to their efforts, Les Roses du Gard were able to collect 45,000 euros last October, a vital amount for the association which operates with an annual budget of 90,000 euros.

“Pink October is not just a fight against breast cancer, but above all an information campaign. Even today, breast cancer kills 13,000 women per year,”, recalls Hélène Milan. The Maisons Rose et Olivier welcome patients during the day, offering them supportive care, individually or in groups, provided by 27 volunteer therapists. Currently, the association has 130 members, 14% of whom are men, recalling that cancer also affects the male population.

A unique association in the Gard

Created in 2017, the association Les Roses du Gard was born from the personal experience of its president, Hélène Milan. After going through a long treatment for breast cancer, she realized that no local structure offered free support to sick people. “During my treatment, I was looking for help that I did not find in the Gard. Finally, I had to go to Montpellier to find a place where I could be accompanied for free”, says Hélène Milan. It was this absence that prompted her to found the department's first support care home in 2022.

A united action that mobilizes

This renewed collaboration between the RCN and Les Roses du Gard highlights the ability of sport to play a driving role in raising awareness of major public health causes. For Steeve Calligaro, this type of partnership is a way to place rugby at the heart of citizens' concerns.

"It is essential that rugby be present in all levels of society and that it participate in actions that meet the needs and concerns of citizens. This type of initiative shows that we are committed to our community, and that our club, beyond the field, is there to help."