Governance

Young Bloods Program

Region - Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, Central West, New England

The Leukaemia Foundation has developed the ‘Young Bloods’ program aimed at providing professional support to address issues faced and enable young people to develop the resilience to stay, or get back, on track to enjoy life as they are meant to. Young Bloods is designed to meet the physical, psychological and educational impact of blood cancer on children and young adults who have been diagnosed with a blood cancer or who have close family members who have been diagnosed with a blood cancer. Young Bloods provides support in the form of financial grants paid to families for physical, psychosocial and educational support that is considered appropriate by their personal medical specialists. 

The Foundation will provide $65,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation to launch the Young Bloods program in the Foundations operating area in regional NSW including directly supporting up to 70 young people with, or recovering from, a serious cancer diagnosis.

Wigs for Kids

Region - Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, Central West, New England

Variety – the Children’s Charity, among its many amazing programs for sick and disadvantaged children, provides wigs to kids who have lost their hair due to Alopecia or another medical condition such as cancer. Losing your hair can have profound psychological effects, particularly through childhood and adolescence. One specialised can wig cost up to $5,000 and lasts two to three years so the cost is prohibitive for many families.  

The Foundation’s grant of $74,800 will help Variety launch the Wigs 4 Kids in regional NSW to provide wigs to children whose families are unable to afford the service themselves.

NICVIEW Project - Installation of NICU web cams

Region - Hunter

John Hunter Children's Hospital Kids Club, as part of the United Hospital Auxiliaries of NSW, raises vital funds solely for the John Hunter Children's Hospital. 

With a grant of $186,428, the Kids Club will implement Australia’s first ever NICVIEW system which will connect remote families with their newborns while in the care of Northern NSW’s only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which provides care for up to 1200 babies each year from across NSW, including some of our most rural and remote regions. 

The NICVIEW project will include installation of specialised web cameras on each of the NICU’s 42 beds with a live-feed accessible by baby’s family through a secure, password protected connection to any computer, tablet, phone or similar device. NICVIEW means that family, often separated due to work, school or care commitments, can connect and bond with the newest member of the family, no matter how far away they may be

Special School Playground Area Upgrade

Region - Northern Rivers

Biala Support Services provides education, respite, therapy and support services to both children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities in the Ballina area, including through Biala Special School. 

A small independent school for students with a moderate to severe intellectual disability and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder, Biala’s secure grounds contain three classrooms, a Sensory Room, purpose-built library, indoor heated hydrotherapy pool and outdoor play area. Under the fickle Northern Rivers weather the surface of the play area has degraded, so the Foundation will provide $30,000 to install a new synthetic grass surface to provide a durable safe outdoor surface area for the School’s students to safely make the most of the facility. 

Last year the Foundation was proud to fund a refurbishment of Biala’s Melaleuca House respite home in Ballina East, which provides invaluable respite for families of people with disabilities.

Headspace Bathurst enhancement project

Region - Central West

Headspace provides early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds through physical and mental health services, vocational support and drug and alcohol services. Marathon Health operates the Headspace program in Bathurst, which has been operating since 2008 and provides health and wellbeing services to almost 250 young people each month. 

We’re providing $43,000 to complete the fit-out of the new Headspace Bathurst centre with a therapeutic greenspace and a group therapy room to deliver programs, including for youth mental health therapy, adolescent parenting, counselling for Aboriginal young people, early invention exercise physiology.

TSC Connect online platform

Region - Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, Central West, New England, Northern Rivers

Established in 1970, The Shepherd Centre (TSC) was the first early intervention agency in Australia to teach Auditory-Oral Therapy to hearing impaired children. Since establishment, TSC has assisted nearly 2000 children who are deaf or hearing impaired to improve their quality of life.

The Charitable Foundation has provided a $106,700 grant to help build an online interactive portal for families in regional areas. The program will be deliverable on any internet connected device (computer, tablet, phone) and is designed to deliver virtual therapy solutions in a customised manner for each child and family, supporting and upskilling the parents so they can support their children in the most efficient way possible.

For more information on the important work of this community organisation please visit shepherdcentre.org.au

Kids Cancer App

Region - Hunter

Camp Quality (CQ) has been operating since 1983. Their purpose is to create a better life for every child (0-13) living with cancer in Australia. CQ achieve this by supporting the entire family (patients, siblings and parents) throughout each stage of their cancer journey. Right from diagnosis, throughout treatment and in remission or bereavement, their services support the whole family; at hospital, at home, back at school and in the community.

$100,000 was provided to develop an Australian first “Kids' Cancer App” that will enable children aged 8-13 years to learn about cancer in an age-appropriate, interesting and innovative manner. It is aimed to benefit children who have a parent, sibling or friend with cancer but may also be helpful for those who have a relative, classmate, neighbour, teacher or significant person in their life with cancer.

This custom built App will seek to reduce the fear and helplessness children often feel when someone they know has cancer by providing them with age-appropriate information in an engaging and interactive way in a format their generation is both familiar and comfortable with. This App will be designed to be suitable for mobile and tablet devices across both the iOS and AndroidTM platforms.

For more information on the important work of this community organisation please visit campquality.org.au

Android is a trademark of Google Inc

Books in Dubbo Project

Region - Central West

Books in Homes Australia (BIHA) has a sole focus on providing “books-of-choice” to families and children living in remote and low socio-economic circumstances, ensuring crucial early literacy engagement and the development of reading skills so important for lifelong success. Since 2001 BIHA has successfully delivered more than 2 million quality books of choice to over 400 low socio-economic communities in NSW, NT, QLD, SA, WA and TAS.

The Foundation has previously provided support to fund the ‘Books in Homes’ project in the communities of Orange, Bathurst, Grafton, Tamworth, Lismore, Taree, Cessnock, Singleton and Coffs Harbour.

$45,000 has been provided for the Charitable Foundation for Books in Homes to extend this program to two schools in Dubbo. Each student will receive 3 new books of choice each term for 3 terms in a waterproof book bag.

For more information on the important work of this community organisation please visit booksinhomesaustralia.com.au

Breathe Better - Nebuliser Replacement and Exercise Self-Management Program

Region - Hunter

Cystic Fibrosis is a life-limiting, genetic condition which primarily affects the lungs and digestive system because of a malfunction in the exocrine system. Living with Cystic Fibrosis impacts every realm of human functioning from the physical to emotional, social, and economic. Cystic Fibrosis NSW provides services and practical assistance to families that reduce the burden of living with this inherited disease.

A $96,500 grant from the Charitable Foundation will help to reduce the financial burden of this disease through a Regional Nebuliser Replacement Program. Families will now have access to expensive nebulisers and nebuliser consumables that will clinically deliver optimum levels of medication in an efficient manner for each individual.

In addition, the grant will further assist 20 adults and 20 adolescents from the Hunter and Central Coast regions through an Exercise Self-Management Program that will provide sufferers with the skills, opportunity and motivation to participate in regular activity, which is critical in managing their disease

For more information on the important work of this community organisation please visit cysticfibrosis.org.au/nsw

Vehicle for Able Gardens

Region - Northern Rivers

Home Assistance and Regional Transport Services Inc. (HART Services) provides a range of responsive solutions that ‘make a difference’ by empowering people and connecting community. Their personalised services support people to meet the challenges of ageing, disability, transport disadvantage and social isolation.

Gardens, lawns and minor home maintenance can become neglected if a person is unable to undertake these duties. The most vulnerable people, those experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, disabilities or episodic mental health illness can find things ‘getting-away’. Neglect can have serious repercussions, particularly in rented accommodation. Also an unsafe environment can ensue, as can social stigma and feelings of hopelessness.

HART established the Able Gardens program to address disadvantage by providing an affordable, volunteer driven, sustainable garden and maintenance service that encourages client involvement. Participation may vary from actual physical participation (planting, sweeping etc.) to simply an accompanied trip to the nursery to select plants.

The Charitable Foundation has provided a $35,000 grant to enable the organisation to purchase a vehicle to ensure HART are able to expand the delivery of this service within the community.

For more information on the important work of this community organisation please visit hartservices.org.au/