Owen Finegan’s 2023 Highlights

Our amazing team are always striving to do more

Our volunteer board − a small but hardworking team – as well as our Research Advisory Committee, full-time staff, volunteers, our amazing community, corporate supporters, and donors all allow us to support bold and innovative scientists who have invested their time and effort into the pursuit of life-changing research. Our passion is for the three families that hear the words ‘your child has cancer’ and unfortunately the three children that are passing away every week.

Over the last year, we have independently reviewed our commitment and impact from our previous research investment over the last five years to ensure that our research investment reflects the needs of the childhood cancer community. A researcher survey, in combination with an audit of the childhood cancer research sector (national and international), has identified some key opportunities and barriers which was used to guide the drafting of our new 2024-29 Kids’ Cancer Project strategic pillars, research priorities and strategy that will be launched in January.

As part of our collaboration with Cancer Australia’s Priority driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme (PdCCRS), I enjoyed reviewing 11 applications as one of several review panels participating in a Grant Review Committee. Since 2015, The Kids’ Cancer Project has committed over $4.65 million which has been matched by the Australian Government through Cancer Australia and like-minded cancer research funding partners to lead to more than $10 million in total of childhood cancer research funding.

Raising awareness and funds

15 February 2023 was International Childhood Cancer Day, a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families. In line with this, we launched our inaugural national awareness campaign, K’Day. A day where you swap the iconic G’day with K’day, make a donation and have a conversation about the 950 Aussie kids diagnosed with cancer every year and are unable to enjoy their childhoods the way they should.

Our national campaign raised awareness, securing significant pro-bono support from several media outlets, including the support of our partners, Nine Entertainment to drive awareness. On K’day, over $220,000 was raised for vital kids’ cancer research thanks to our corporate partners and major donors who allowed all donations received from our donors and community on 15 February to be matched.

In November, over a long weekend at the Randwick Netball Association in Maroubra, we once again saw the amazing Tie Dye Project in action. Australian Diamonds Netballer Amy Parmenter and sarcoma survivor and childhood cancer advocate Molly Croft have become a dynamic duo.

After raising over $500,000 for childhood cancer research in the last few years, the Tie Dye Project once again, through their community of volunteers, produced over 2000 shirts, scrunchies, tote bags, towels and socks to continue the support of a research project that is focusing on a clinical translation of CAR T cell therapy for the treatment of sarcoma. The project is being led by Molly’s oncologist Professor Geoff McCowage & Dr Kavitha Gowrishankar out of the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and they are also funding Dr Jacqui McGovern’s project that is looking to accelerate the translation of precision medicine from bench-to-bedside for childhood sarcoma patients.

2023 also marked a decade as the charity partner for the Macquarie Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim, the partnership has generated almost $350,000 since its inception. The collective effort this year resulted in an impressive $20,000 raised. A notable highlight of the day was Nathan Rix, a true hero and inspirational figure who, despite facing a malignant tumour diagnosis at the age of eight and later losing his leg due to cancer relapse at 18, completed the Bondi to Bronte once again raising over $2,000 and finished the swim in an impressive 1 hour and 8 minutes. His inspiring journey and resilience serve as a testament to the importance of ongoing support for The Kids' Cancer Project's mission.

Corporate Partners

The Air Conditioning & Mechanical Contractors Association (AMCA) is the national industry body representing businesses operating in the commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry.  In 2023 the AMCA Annual Conference, a head shave, Golf Days in Melbourne and Canberra and with a further five AMCA members joining us at our Christmas for a Cure event the AMCA raised over $120,000.

In November, to celebrate their 70^th anniversary, our corporate partner Stylecraft held Bowling for Cancer events across Australia. Taking place across their seven showroom locations in Australia and Singapore, as a celebration of their 70-year heritage Stylecraft and their community raised over $80,000 for children’s cancer research.

Facilities Management Australia, which represents professionals, teams and organisations involved in the strategic and operational management of facilities across Australia, this year have raised over $50,000 from a Golf Day in Sydney and the FMA Gala Awards night in Melbourne.

I’d also like to extend a special thanks to Smartways Logistics, who continue to help us deliver the bears that are kindly donated by our supporters to Children’s hospitals across Australia all year round and who at this busy Christmas time helping us deliver over 1,500 Santa bears across the Christmas period.

30 years of supporting kids with cancer

In August we celebrated Col Reynolds and The Kids’ Cancer Projects 30^th Anniversary and our wonderful achievement of our Kids Cancer Project community including our families, researchers, donors, board members, corporate and charity partners, community fundraisers and supporters. We celebrated the fact that together, we can create opportunities for kids to not only survive but thrive.

There were a couple of major recognitions for Col Reynolds and The Kids’ Cancer Project this year. At the Research Australia, Health and Medical Research Gala Awards, Col Reynolds was awarded the 2023 Advocacy award. The Kids’ Cancer Project were also awarded The Royal Alexandra Society Award from the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation for the extraordinary support of over $15 million. This prestigious award also recognises the charity’s continued commitment to supporting pioneering research projects at the hospital.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month where we raise awareness around the impact of childhood cancer, including the heartbreaking statistic that every day across Australia three families will hear the words ‘your child has cancer’ and each week three children will die of cancer.  Every one of you can, and generously does, contribute to changing these statistics by funding vital research, that we believe will one day cure every child of cancer. 

The Better Challenge is a 90km challenge for the 90 kids that will be diagnosed over September and a reminder that everyone can contribute to changing these statistics by funding vital research, that we believe will one day cure every child of cancer. We launched The Better Challenge with a live event on the Today Show, raising awareness nationally and 1,000 Australians registered for the month-long challenge to do 90km ‘your way’ for the 90 kids that would be diagnosed across the month and raised over $300,000 towards childhood cancer research.

In September, The Kids’ Cancer Project launched our Spring newsletter, sharing some examples of what our researchers are working on, the impact they are having on kids and their families, and of course, how people like you are making it all happen. We look forward to sharing a second edition next year.

Ending the year with a bang

Professor Matt Dun, who tragically lost his daughter Josephine to DIPG in 2019, shared a moving perspective on the impact of a diagnosis of this incurable form of childhood brain cancer and his research project to find better treatments for future children diagnosed with this hideous disease.

Of course, I could go on. So, thank you for reading just an overview of our year in review and for your wonderful and incredibly meaningful support.