We are proud to support CHALLENGE and the FIA will be co-ordinating events and activities to fit in with our schedule of forums and other events. We hope that you will support this iniative as we will be assisting children and their families.
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Challenge Facts
§ Challenge is an organisation providing services and programs that support children and families living with cancer and other life-threatening blood disorders
§ The role of Challenge is to ensure that these children and families are provided with continual support, from the time of diagnosis, through the treatment period and beyond
§ Challenge offers free services to people aged 18-years and under and also provides support to family members of diagnosed children
§ Challenge provides programs and services to approximately 100 to 120 young people and their families each week
§ To assist families, Challenge offers camps, family activity days, hospital and parent support, art and music therapy, financial support, holiday accommodation, and an extensive ticketing program, among an array of other services
§ Challenge provides programs and support services to children and their families while they are in the hospital environment; with a major presence at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and the Monash Medical Centre (MMC), and other hospitals
§ Challenge provides each bed in the RCH ward access to FOXTEL, video games, portable DVD players, Walkmans and CDs, along with an extensive DVD library
§ Camps have been offered to Challenge members and their siblings since 1983 and are the cornerstone of the program. They allow children the opportunity to get away and meet others facing similar challenges. A variety of camps are offered, with more than 600 young people attending camps each year
§ Challenge provides ticketing to most major sporting, cultural and musical events conducted in Victoria
§ Challenge Playgroup, introduced in 2005, offers patients aged between two and five years a weekly opportunity to socialise with other children while they are not able to attend their usual community playgroup, kindergarten or crèche
§ The Christopher Wise Scholarship established to assist young people undergoing treatment to achieve their educational pursuits
§ Leuk the Duck was created by Herald Sun cartoonist, Mark Knight. Leuk (short for Leukemia) was developed to provide a visual symbol for kids with cancer and is used in educational material produced by Challenge
§ Australian and international golfing champion, Robert Allenby, is the official patron of Challenge
§ Challenge receives no government funding and raises over $2 million a year to continue its program