Charities

Taking part in events like the Great Australian Run give you a great opportunity to raise some valuable funds for a charity close to you.

In 2009 we had a number of charities on board with the event and had runners raising money for them. You can find out more about each of these charities below.

Official Partner Charities

The McGrath Foundation
The McGrath Foundation was co-founded by Jane McGrath and her cricketing husband, Glenn, after Jane’s initial diagnosis and recovery from breast cancer. As a result of her experience, Jane believed every Australia woman diagnosed with breast cancer, and her family, should have access to a breast care nurse. As such, the McGrath Foundation aims to raise money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses right across Australia.In addition, the McGrath Foundation also educates young women to be breast aware as Jane was only 31 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer, and felt passionately that women under 40 conduct regular breast checks - early detection saves lives. Become part of their running team in the Great Australian Run and help raise vital funds. To find out more about the McGrath Foundation, please visit www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au.

The Humour Foundation
Clown Doctors treat kids in hospital with a different kind of medicine, with doses of smiles and laughter. Oversized medical equipment, 'red-nose' transplants and funny bone examinations are all part of the fun. The Clown Doctors help children feel less traumatised by medical procedures, reducing fear and anxiety. Make yourself smile. Raise $400 and you could put a smile on 100 sick kid's faces.

The Smith Family
The Smith Family is a national not for profit, whose focus is on unlocking education and learning opportunities for disadvantaged children and their families – a support, which research shows, is key to breaking the cycle of disadvantage. With over 680,000 Australian children living in disadvantage, the need to help children here, in Australia, has never been greater.
Through support from the community, caring Australians, and its corporate partners, The Smith Family is able to provide disadvantaged students with the opportunity to access a critical network of education and learning support programs, such as mentoring, tutoring and literacy skills, so they can participate fully in society.
The Smith Family also provides financial support, in the form of a scholarship, to over 30,000 students, which assists with the costs of uniforms, school excursions and other essential items.