Community

The Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation was established in 2013 with the purpose of driving and funding medical research into the fatal childhood dementia, Sanfilippo Syndrome and enabling access to effective treatments for Australian children to improve their quality of life.

Sanfilippo is a rare and fatal form of childhood dementia. Children with the condition have a life expectancy of just 12-20 years. It is a tragic disease that has a devastating impact on families and communities. The disease affects mostly the brain and central nervous system. Over time, cells fill up with waste that the body is unable to process. The brain becomes damaged, children experience hyperactivity, sleeplessness, loss of speech and cognitive skills, mental retardation, cardiac issues, seizures, loss of mobility, dementia and finally death, usually before adulthood.

The Sanfilippo Children’s Foundation funds research projects that show potential to either halt disease progression; repair damage caused by Sanfilippo; or improve the quality of life of children who suffer from the condition.

In addition to funding research, our Foundation raises awareness and builds collaborative relationships with other patient groups worldwide. We play an essential role in the provision to families of up to date and accurate information regarding the condition and the associated research.

Through advocacy, grassroots fundraising and awareness-raising, our Foundation has created a voice for children in Australia with Sanfilippo Syndrome.

Donation link: https://www.sanfilippo.org.au/donate

At Children’s Cancer Institute, our belief is that a life should be long. That every child should have the chance to grow up and grow old. But cancer cuts life short for hundreds of children every year, before they’ve even had a chance to make their mark. Here in Australia, we have more than 1000 children and adolescents being diagnosed with cancer every single year.

Today, thanks to medical research, over 80% of children will survive their disease. But two thirds face will suffer serious long-term health problems caused by the very treatment that saved their life.

At Children’s Cancer Institute we are pioneering safer, more targeted treatments for children with cancer so that more kids not only survive, but go on to live long, healthy lives.

Together, we can and we will cure every child of cancer. It’s not if, it’s when.

Donation link: https://www.ccia.org.au/get-involved/ways-to-donate/donate

Miracle Babies Foundation is Australia’s leading not-for-profit organisation supporting premature and sick newborns, their families and the hospitals that care for them. Every year, 48,000 babies are born premature or sick in Australia, these babies can go on to face lifelong challenges and the experience affects the entire family unit. Sadly, up to 1,000 babies will lose their fight for life.

Miracle Babies’ vision is to achieve ‘better, healthier outcomes for babies and their families challenged by prematurity or sickness at birth’. The NurtureProgram provides peer support and resources for families throughout the experience of having their baby spend weeks or months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Special Care Nursery (SCN), improving the wellbeing of the entire family – providing hope, reassurance, guidance and ongoing support for their journey in hospital, and for years beyond.

In-Hospital Peer Support Service (NurtureTime) operates at hospitals across the country, along with after discharge play and support groups within the community (NurtureGroups). The 24-Hour Family Support Line (NurtureLine) is available to all families nationally, as well as grandparents and extended family or carers, at any stage of a family’s stage.

Donation link: https://www.miraclebabies.org.au/content/donate-widget/gjisao

Fragile X is a family of genetic conditions caused by an expansion on the Fragile X gene. One of those conditions is Fragile X syndrome. This is the leading cause of inherited intellectual disability and developmental delay, impacting around 1 in 5,000 children and adults. People who are ‘carriers’ for the Fragile X gene can be affected in different ways – with many adult female carriers experiencing reproductive problems through early menopause, and older males who are carriers experiencing ataxia and tremor similar to Parkinson’s disease.

Fragile X Association of Australia is a member-based charity. Our mission is to support people living with Fragile X to live their best possible lives through connection, education and advocacy.

We offer support and services to the Fragile X community Australia-wide and anyone who has a query about Fragile X. We offer a HelpLine 5 days a week; a website and social media sites; an educational webinar program and videos to help people learn about Fragile X; specialist counselling and peer support to families and individuals living with Fragile X, and referrals to services and specialists. We advocate in areas that affect the Fragile X community, such as testing & diagnosis, disability supports and health care services We also advocate for research into treatments for Fragile X syndrome, and further understanding of the conditions which affect carriers for Fragile X. Fragile X-associated conditions are frequently under-recognised and often misdiagnosed, so we also work towards increased awareness of Fragile X amongst health professionals.

Donation link: https://www.fragilex.org.au/support-us/donate/

Happy Tails Animal Rescue is a volunteer-run rescue group saving the life of dogs and cats in need. Based in South-East Queensland and helping dogs and cats all over Australia, Happy Tails has rescued and re-homed more than 2000 animals in just five years.

We place all our animals into loving approved foster homes, where they will get the best care while they wait for their forever homes. We provide all vet and behavioral work required to ensure our animals are happy, healthy and ready to be a part of a family. Happy Tails has a thorough adoption process to ensure that our animals are going to the right home. If for any reason an adopted animal can no longer be cared for, we will take them back into foster care and provide for them until they find their true forever home.

As well as rescue, Happy Tails also runs the Safe Tails program, providing short-term crisis foster care for pets of individuals at risk or experiencing domestic violence, homelessness or other needs.

Donation link: https://happytailsrescue.com.au/support-us/donate/