Formed in 1992 as the Kids Oncology and Leukaemia Action group, KOALA Foundation is run by parents and carers of children who are being, or have been treated for cancer.
KOALA Foundation is run mostly on a voluntary basis with office administration support, accounting and legal services provided on a pro bono basis. There is just one part time staff administrator, so the majority of any net funds raised go to the care and support of Victorian kids with cancer.
KOALA Foundation's work is threefold:
KOALA Foundation coordinates and works with the Victorian Government's Paediatric Integrated Cancer Services at the Children's Cancer Centre’s at Monash Medical Centre, Royal Children's Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. KOALA Foundation also collaborates and works cooperatively with all major cancer support groups.
KOALA Foundation is unique in that it is one of only two charities that focuses solely on partnering the State and the hospitals themselves to provide a better service. KOALA Foundation does not duplicate any services or activities provided by other charities and is generally not involved in the ‘distractionary services’ (camps, wishes fulfillment, trips, entertainment etc). Rather, KOALA Foundation is focused on providing the support (clinical, psychosocial, therapeutic, counseling, advisory, training etc) within the hospitals to ensure every family gets the best possible and complete support needed to assist them on their journey to survive the threat of childhood cancer.
As stated, KOALA Foundation is run by the parents of past and current patients. The majority of the KOALA Board comprise these parents. There is no one better to know what support is needed and where it is needed. The Board also includes financial and legal professionals and the Chairman of Paediatric Integrated Cancer Services in Victoria. Together with the parents on the Board they oversee KOALA Foundation's funds allocation in collaboration with the hospitals involved.
Importantly, KOALA Foundation's efforts are also focused on lobbying the government and hospitals to maximize and perfect their support of paediatric oncology treatment and care. This means KOALA Foundation's funding is adding incredible value to, not substituting state funding.
In short, you are assured that the support KOALA Foundation receives will go directly into caring for our kids with cancer and it will make a tangible difference to the lives of those dealing with childhood cancer. KOALA Foundation is happy to discuss any specific programs in greater detail.
KOALA Foundation is currently funding a 3 year strategic planning process with Victoria’s Paediatric Integrated Cancer Services at Royal Children's Hospital , Monash Medical Centre and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. This process is to establish the vision all stakeholders want the service to achieve over the next 3 years. From that vision, strategic objectives will be set with associated funding requirements identified.
As a major ‘soft dollar’ partner of Victoria's Paediatric Integrated Cancer Services and the hospitals involved, KOALA Foundation stands ready to meet those funding requirements. The KOALA Foundation Board fully expects it will be required to meet a much larger recurring funding need across 2010 to 2013. To this end KOALA Foundation is proactively maintaining its Million Dollar Lunch fundraising and ensuring responsible cash balances are maintained to fund the strategic plan.