Media Release

The immediate future of a popular hospital visitation program for South Australian kids with cancer and their families has been secured, thanks to a generous funding grant from BankSA Foundation.

As part of more than $76,000 in grants announced by BankSA Foundation today, $28,860 has been given to Childhood Cancer Association in South Australia to help it continue its hospital visitation program in conjunction with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Crucially, the funding will enable Childhood Cancer Association to continue conducting daily visits to kids living with cancer in hospital, including the provision of counsellors and psychologists to help families deal with the many challenges of coping with cancer treatment.

Funded primarily through BankSA staff donations, BankSA Foundation has also today announced a $47,424 grant to Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association of South Australia.

These funds will enable Motor Neurone Disease Association to employ an additional staff member to help build organisational capacity and improve the delivery of services to people impacted by MND.

BankSA Chief Executive Nick Reade said the Foundation, which has now been operating for 76 years, is delighted to provide critical financial support to two worthy South Australian organisations.

“Childhood Cancer Association and Motor Neurone Disease Association in South Australia are two fantastic, unsung community organisations with a genuine passion for helping people,” Mr Reade said.

“Both organisations are also in desperate need of financial support, so it’s certainly satisfying for BankSA Foundation to donate a combined $76,284 to help them advance their terrific work in supporting fellow South Australians in need.

“Childhood Cancer Association’s hospital visitation program with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital is such an important initiative. It provides invaluable support to children and families living with cancer, and we feel privileged to provide funding to enable the program to continue into the future.

“At the same time, Motor Neurone Disease Association needs all the support it can get to continue providing assistance to those whose lives have been affected by MND, for which there is still no effective treatment or cure.  

“The Association does a great job in South Australia and we trust this BankSA Foundation grant will slightly ease some of the organisation’s financial limitations and enable the Association to expand its highly regarded services to the local community.”

BankSA Foundation has developed a proud history of charitable and community support since 1941, when bank staff first agreed to donate part of their wages to send comfort parcels to colleagues serving in the armed forces.

It has since donated more than $8 million to help the state’s smallest charities make a big impact, due primarily to the ongoing generosity of BankSA employees who continue to raise or donate funds for BankSA Foundation grant purposes.

BankSA Foundation invites applications from charities and not-for-profit community groups located in South Australia and Northern Territory, with annual gross revenue of less than $5 million, and receiving less than 60 per cent of their income from recurrent state or federal funding.

Further eligibility criteria and information about applying can be found at banksa.com.au/foundation.

Media contact:                           

Jayne Flaherty                      
0478 335 544                          
flahertyj@banksa.com.au

BankSA Foundation contact:

Olivia Thomas
0466 427 448 
olivia.thomas@banksa.com.au