The Count Charitable Foundation made a $5,000 donation to support Mogg Osborne Victoria raise funds to help fund research for Motor Neuron Disease with a walk and fun run around the Benalla Lake.

The Count Charitable Foundation made a $5,000 donation to support 6 riders who travelled for 6 weeks - 16,000 km's around Australia... all in the spirit of adventure & charity.

They plan to raise at least $5 per km... 100% of which will go to the Cancer Council of Australia.

The Count Charitable Foundation made a donation of $2,500 to support Kim Scott, Kim Scott Financial Planning in Tamworth to raise money for the Cancer Council.  Kim participated in Relay For Life which is an overnight, community event where teams of 10-15 participate in a relay-style walk or run to raise funds for Cancer Council. The event brings the whole community together for a night of fun, entertainment, celebration and remembrance.

The Count Charitable Foundation made a $20,000 donation to Cure Our Kids to support them in delivering a range of services to improve the quality of life for children with cancer and their families.

Caress Andrews from Count Head Office joined a 26 km walk and raised $1,500 for Cure Our Kids.  The Count Charitable Foundation topped up the donation by a further $2,500 - total donation $4,000.

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to the Fred Hollows Foundation to support their Music & Literacy Indigenous Program.

High quality education should be the right of all children in the world as education is the strongest weapon in the fight against poverty, corruption and political instability.

In 2002 The School of St Jude opened in Tanzania with just three students and one teacher.

With hard work and determination, the school has exploded to over 1300 children (on three campuses) all of whom are given a free education through sponsorship from individuals, families, clubs and schools from around Australia and abroad. The school also gives employment to over 350 local Tanzanian staff including 3 sets of local Headmasters and their academic teams who now run each school.

Without a scholarship to St Jude’s these children would struggle to escape the spiral of poverty into which they were born. Sponsors and donors from across the world cover the cost of a student’s tuition, books, uniform, stationery, transport, excursions, meals and boarding.

At Count’s 25th Annual Conference CCF presented a cheque for $50,000 to Gemma Sisia for The School of St Jude, Tanzania - $20K contributed to buying one whole term of text books and $30K to commence building a new classroom for the students.

Attached are letters of thanks and photographs of the students.

At Count’s 25th Annual Conference CCF presented a cheque for $50,000 to John Brogden and Dawn O’Neill, CEO for Lifeline Australia.

Lifeline was founded in 1963 by the late Reverend Dr Sir Alan Walker as a telephone crisis service of the Methodist Central Mission in Sydney. Lifeline now provides all Australians with access to 24-hour telephone counselling service on 13 11 14. This service is available to anyone in Australia needing emotional support, for the cost of a local call. There is a new call to Lifeline every minute and an average of 450,000 calls are answered each year. Lifeline have expanded their operations to include a number of programs that promote mental health, wellbeing and help seeking behaviours. Lifeline’s services now operate from 60 locations nationally, with a presence in every State and Territory within Australia.

CCF donated $5,000 to Bear Cottage at the finance industry dinner. Bear Cottage is the first children's hospice in NSW. It is a place where children with terminal illnesses and their families can stay from time to time and receive rest and medical care in a home-like environment. With specialist medical care available 24 hours a day to take care of the children's medical needs and staff and volunteers to see to daily tasks such as cooking and cleaning, families are provided with the opportunity to spend some quality time together.

Paul Cooper, Cooper Reeves; John Wood, Founder, Room to Read; Joycelyn Morton, Count Director

Room to Read held a Charity event on 19 February and raised $752,000 on the night. The Count Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 at this event.

Room to Read has a focus on the fact that education will change the world. Its mission is to promote literacy in developing countries by partnering with local communities to establish schools, libraries, scholarships and other educational infrastructure. They do this by changing/educating one village at a time. In addition to this overarching aim they also have seen the major need to focus on educating girls. In many countries girls are barred from the education that is afforded to boys. This results in the obvious degradation of the role of women as nurturer and educator of children.

Room to Read provides long term benefits at many levels. Firstly in providing books in local languages, developing authoring skills in local communities for children’s education books, construction of rooms, construction of libraries and building entire schools in these communities. Results so far:

Room to Read is currently operating in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam) and Africa (South Africa and Zambia).

Congratulations to W&D Financial Services who entered four riders in the Sydney to Wollongong bike ride on 1 November and raised over $2,000 for Multiple Sclerosis. The Count Charitable Foundation matched their donation.

Riders in photo - left to right: Ashley Montesin, Peter Bonner, Sam Jory & Tony Fenwicke

Movember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men's health issues, specifically The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative.

Count Head Office Team Members (Elias Serhan, Mark Kevin, Troy Gibbs, Geoff Quinn, Steve Ognenovski and Dean Hughey) and Count Members raised $14,417.35 for Movember of which $10,000 was donated by the Count Charitable Foundation.

To date, Movember has raised AUS$60 million globally for the fight against prostate cancer and depression in men. And, more importantly, as a direct result, male awareness of health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread health messages directly to millions of people around the world.

Movember will continue to work towards helping to change established habits and attitudes and make men aware of the risks they face, thereby increasing early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

The Banks Group, Victoria held a Charity Golf Day on 13 November 2009 for The Centre for Palliative Care. Barry Lambert, Count Chairman attended and presented a cheque on behalf of the The Count Charitable Foundation for $10,000. A total of $16,631 was raised on the day.

Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of people diagnosed with an advanced, life threatening illness and offers support to both the patient and their families at a difficult time when they need it most.

In support of the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation Barry Lambert and Marianne Perkovic completed the 111 km Hawkesbury Classic paddling from Windsor to the Hawkesbury.

A total of $62,000 was donated to the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation - $42,000 from Count's Members, Business Partners and Count Team together with $20,000 donated by the Count Charitable Foundation.

The Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation is a charitable foundation funding medical research into the cause, prevention, treatment and cure of leukaemia and other diseases treatable by bone marrow and adult stem cell transplantation. Arrow also supports patients and their carers through providing accommodation, patient information guides, assistance with travel costs and a free wig library available to patients experiencing hair loss through chemotherapy.

 

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $15,000 to The Asia Pacific Emergency Appeal to help rebuild schools in the devastated communities in Samoa.
More than 170 people including many children are known to have died in the destruction caused by the recent earthquakes, tsunami and flooding around the Asia Pacific region.

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to Northcare Foundation to provide scholarships for nurses to train in intensive care work. This unit has always been at the forefront of clinical excellence and innovation within Australia and it is recognised worldwide as a leader in ICU research and training. It treats over 2,500 patients annually and is the only unit in NSW catering for all types of adult intensive care, including spinal, trauma and burns.

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $2,000 plus golf balls, bags and caps to the Alison Watt Charity Golf Day recommended by Kim Scott Financial Planning, Tamworth, NSW. The Golf Day was organised by Tamworth couple, Brett and Nicole Watt, who were inspired to do so by their daughter, Alison who passed away in October 2008 from heart disease, aged 14. $12,600 was raised for the Tamworth Base Hospital to purchase an Echo Cardiogram machine.

The Down Syndrome Association of Queensland (DSAQ) is a not for profit, member based organisation. DSAQ provides new parent supporters to assist the family through the transition time, giving comfort, advice and acting as a sounding board. The Count Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 to DSAQ at the Monto Tea Party on 24 October 2009 and this was presented by Wayne Harch from Accounting & You Financial Services, Qld on behalf of the Foundation.

MBA Partnership, Qld organised its 5th annual Charity Golf Day on 9 October 2009 and raised $50,000 for Guide Dogs Qld.

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $10,000 towards service equipment for Orientation and Mobility Instructors.

The Count Charitable Foundation wishes to thank the following Member firms for raising a total of $4,239.60. The Count Charitable Foundation matched the donations and increased the total donation to $20,000. A cheque was presented to the Cancer Council at the Count Stars Conference in October 2009.

A & B Financial Planning, Temora, NSW raised $1,000.

Coffey Hunt, Warrnambool, VIC held a Pink Ribbon breakfast and raised $626.60.

Griffin Financial Professionals, Townsville, QLD raised $104 - the boardroom was decorated pink and everyone wore pink; baked yummy pink goodies (including pink sushi & pink Punch) and invited clients and friends to attend for a gold coin donation. Their accounting practice raised $2,000 by donating $5 for every tax return from 1 July to 30 September 2009.

Insight Financial Partners, Balcatta, WA raised $75.

InvestRight Wealth Management, Rockhampton, QLD held a Wealth for Women seminar on Wednesday, 21 October which had a "Pink Ribbon" theme - pink invitations, pink champagne and pink cupcakes (made by Belinda Tibbits) - $162 was raised on the night and InvestRight matched the donation and a total of $324 was donated to the Cancer Council towards breast cancer research.

Nortons Financial Services, Mudgee, NSW raised $50.

At the recent Count Team Bonding Day in September a team building activity was organised. The team broke up into groups and assembled 17 bicycles. The Count team were excited as they thought they would be racing one another at the end of the day, but the surprise was two-fold.

In association with The Smith Family and the Count Charitable Foundation it had been arranged for the 17 bicycles to be given to disadvantaged children from the southern suburbs. The Count team were surprised and excited to be giving away the bicycles and the children were beaming with delight at receiving a new bicycle.

The children sent us a booklet of thanks with their feedback and photos:

"I felt happy when I saw the bikes that they made for us. I have been riding my bike everywhere and I am very thankful that I was chosen to be one of the lucky students who gone one." Ashley Wickey - Year 4 Student

"I had lots of fun visiting the City. I really like my new bike and loved the food that they had for us in the restaurant." Cassidy Wright - Year 4 Student

"It was the best day of my life and I really appreciate getting my new bike. I ride my bike all the time and it makes me so happy." Cheyenne Smith - Year 5 student

"I loved getting a new bike. I loved eating all the food that the people gave us at the restaurant. I also had a fantastic day visiting the city. Thank you so much for my new bike." Sophie Walsh - Year 2 student

"It was the maddest day I have had in a long time. The food was awesome and the restaurant was so cool. But the thing I liked most was when I got surprised with the coolest bike. I was even so excited I rode it home." Matthew Leatuafi - Year 6 student

"It was really great to be part of something special that went towards rewarding students for their excellent achievements throughout the school year. It was also great to witness that the staff from Count had impacted the students lives by building and then presenting them their bikes. Like most kids everyone has memories of their first bike when they were young and the Count team has contributed to these children's childhood memories." Jason Sampson, Principal

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $5,000 to Alzheimer's Australia Research in September 2009 - Dementia Awareness Week.

Alzheimer's Australia Research (AAR) is the research arm of Alzheimer's Australia. Its mission is to encourage and support Australia's dementia research and provide grants and research scholarships. Alzheimer's Australia itself is the national peak body for people living with dementia, their families and carers. Its vision is for a society committed to the prevention of dementia, while valuing and supporting people living with dementia.

AC Foundation's 8th Annual Golf Day at Monash Golf Course on Thursday 24 September raised approximately $45,000. The Count Charitable Foundation donated $20,000 to support the organisation's critical work. AC Foundation supports hundreds of people with intellectual and other disabilities across the northern Sydney area and is the result of a merger between two separate non-government, not for profit organisations - the Achieve and Crowle Foundations - both of which had been operating in the area since the 1950's.

One hundred and fifteen golfers supported the event and many attended the evening's entertainment hosted by the organisation's ambassador, swimming Olympic gold medallist Duncan Armstrong, AO.

The Oxfam Trailwalk has a reputation of being tough and unforgiving with many participants failing to finish over its 10 year history.

8 Count Team Members pushed their bodies through physical and mental pain barriers over the 100km of bush walking to raise money for Oxfam.

Blister Crusaders 1 (Tim Sanderson, Gavin Tisdell, Vikash & Ricky Prasad) raised $5,565 and completed the event in 32 hours 53min.
Blister Crusaders 2 (Ian Randall, Zafia Hussein, Adrian Perkovic & Alyssa Doherty) raised $5,533 and completed the event in 34 hours 30min.
Sore 4 Sure (Shane Silver's family team of 4) raised over $4,000 and completed the event in 24 hours and 54 minutes - ranked overall 106th out of 510 teams (and 64th out of 194 Mens Teams). Their motto "we started together, we finish together".

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $1,000 to Righteous Pups Australia.

Righteous Pups Australia was established in 2003 with its mission to raise and train assistance dogs to do a variety of practical tasks for children and adults with disabilities, and to act as companion dogs for the elderly and socially isolated. The impact each dog makes on the life of their recipient is priceless, giving recipients a greater level of independence, self esteem and an overall improvement in psychological well-being and quality of life.

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $15,000 to the Inspire Foundation at the IFSA Conference. Inspire is committed to reaching young people at risk of mental health difficulties and offering them tools, resources and connections to improve their mental health and well being, including young people at risk of alcohol or drug misuse, young carers and same sex attracted young people. To achieve this they are building an Inspire community of young people, professionals, families, donors, teachers and supporters who care deeply for young people and their well being. Their dream is for a world where every young person can stand up and say "I am happy".

The Count Team raised $131 on Jeans for Genes Day which raises funds for the Children's Medical Research Institute. The Count Charitable Foundation matched and increased the donation to $500.

The Count Charitable Foundation donated $40,000 to Social Ventures Australia (SVA). SVA was established in 2002 and was created by and has the ongoing support of some of Australia’s most well-known non-profit and philanthropic organisations. SVA works with innovative non-profit organisations to increase their growth and impact to drive transformational social change. It focuses on three areas - supporting a portfolio of non-profit organisations; consulting to the broader non-profit sector; and developing social sector partnerships.

T he support provided by Count Charitable Foundation sustains and enhances the quality of SVA’s work, creating social change across Australia.

Breast Cancer Foundation, WA - Purple Bra Day $2,000
The Breast Cancer Foundation of WA provides personalised emotional, practical and financial support to people affected by breast cancer. The Brennan Sloan Leahy team organised a morning team and wore purple bras outside their clothing to raise $1,000 which CCF matched - totalling $2,000.

Count Team Managers making a difference In June Count Team Managers donated their time to spruce up one of Mission Australia's Women's Refuges in Potts Point. A lick of paint, new plants and an outdoor setting added some enjoyment to other people's lives. Before After Before After

Mission Australia - Triple Care Farm $10,000
Triple Care Farm is a residential program assisting young people aged 16-21 at extreme risk whose relationship with their family and other support networks has broken down. Triple Care Farm covers 45 hectares of farmland, offering up to 18 young people at a time the chance to develop emotionally, socially and vocationally in a safe and secure environment.

Cancer Council of NSW - Australia's Biggest Morning Tea $10,000

Cancer Council of NSW works to undertake and fund cancer research; prevent and control cancer and provide information and support for people affected by cancer. The Count Team joined in the activities of a "Mad Hatters Tea Party" to raise funds. There were prizes for best hats (won by Kate Grabowski & Gavin Fineff) and a bake-off competition (won by Stephen Aguilera-Mendoza and Alannah Macleod). Noel Davis, Chairman of CCF presented a cheque for $10,000 to Cancer Council of NSW.

Salvation Army - Red Shield Appeal $40,000 Funds raised through the Red Shield Neighbourhood Appeal are used to assist people in need in Australia regardless of their nationality, race, belief, sexuality, ability or behaviour. This includes those who are homeless; those who suffer domestic violence and families who struggle with the weekly budget. Funds raised also support programmes like drug and alcohol programmes, family housing programmes and women’s refuges.

CCF and Perpetual have donated a total of $20,000 to Opportunity International's - Sharada Micro-Finance Program

Funds raised through the Red Shield Neighbourhood Appeal are used to assist people in need in Australia regardless of their nationality, race, belief, sexuality, ability or behaviour. The funds Opportunity International receives is lent to clients as loans. The success of the clients creates a ripple effect - benefiting the lives of clients’ family members and communities. As clients invest their loans into expanding their businesses, many will go on to employ members of their families and the local community.

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Australian Conservation Foundation - Murray/Darling Basin Program $20,000

	>	90% of floodplain wetlands in the Murray Darling Basin have been destroyed
	>	About 50% of Australia’s inland waterbirds are threatened, mainly from the loss of wetland and river habitat
	>	About 20% of NSW wetlands recently surveyed were so degraded that they were at risk of leaching toxic sulphuric acid from soils and into the nations river systems

The Australian Conservation Foundation is working towards returning the Murray River back to its natural state and to ensure the future of natural water systems everywhere by pushing for a National Wetlands Initiative.

The Smith Family - Financial Literacy Program $20,000
	CCF is helping to support the Financial Literacy component of The Smith Family Learning for Life program. The focus of the Financial Literacy Course is to educate disadvantaged Australian’s around the essentials of money management and to provide tools and techniques that will enable the participants to achieve their financial goals.
February 2009 – CCF donates $50,000 to Australian Red Cross – Victorian Bushfire Appeal
View the thank you letter from the Australian Red Cross