Fundraising is an important aspect of our Foundation's work - both to fund vital research into Prader-Willi Syndrome and to raise awareness in the general community. We can provide support in the way of material or information by contacting info@praderwilli.org.au
Not sure where to start? Everyday Hero has a great list of upcoming events here. You could also consider a small fundraiser among your friends and family through hosting a fun-run, morning tea or requesting donations in place of gifts on special occasions.
Past Fundraisers
MAd Dash to Find 15
On January 22nd- 25th 2020, 12 crazy guys raised over $100,000 for PWS research by running 800kms in a continuous relay from Melbourne to Adelaide, 15kms at a time. It was a hard slog through cold, rain, windy and extreme heat conditions. They had it all!
Thank you to all the runners for your amazing effort to raise money for PWS, and thank you Craig Bankes for once again your tireless pursuit to fundraise and create a better life for your beautiful daughter Zoe and all the others living with PWS in Australia. We really appreciate it!
Adelaide Trivia Night – October 2019 : What a terrific event Rachel and Craig Bankes hosted to celebrate the first birthday of their daughter Zoe!
Apart from learning a lot (who knew that there have been 16 seasons of the Kardashians!), the 350 guests had fantastic fun with trivia, played mini golf, flags of the world and, of course, celebrity bums. The Good Old Fashioned Way played up a storm. David Penberthy was a fantastic MC, keeping the crowd on their toes.
Best of all, PWS has 350 new supporters. People who care, who are invested (literally) in finding a treatment. $38,500 invested actually!
We are incredibly grateful to Rachel and Craig Bankes and to their Adelaide community for supporting Prader-Willi Research Foundation Australia and for raising such a huge amount of money.
Giving Tuesday - 2019: In just 1 day, the PWS community raised $14,615, and with the matched donation of a generous PWS family, we were able to fund a new epigenetics project with Associate Professor Pilar Blancafort from Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research Western Australia.
At PWRFA, we've been busy exploring alternative gene activation approaches with Australian Scientists and International colleagues in an effort to continue to fast track gene therapy for PWS. A/Prof Blancafort's approach utilises powerful gene editing technology, such as CRISPR/cas9. The Blancafort lab have had considerable success 'waking up' tumor suppressor genes and A/Prof Blancafort believes that this technology can also be used to 'wake up' PWS genes.
Thank you to all the supporters for making this a success. We are excited to see what A/P Blancafort will discover in 2020 when the project kicks off.
Thank you to the following individuals who have achieved great feats and raised money for PWRFA in 2019 - Reema El Qassem, Rafa Urbano and Ana Gutierrez Rodriguez in the City to Surf, Phillip Adamcewicz for trekking Kokoda, Team Bankes for the City to Bay Run.
Finding 15: The first weekend of May 2019, PWRFA celebrated International Prader-Willi month with an inaugural walk, held in multiple locations across Australia – Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Newcastle & Orange. The event was a huge success, attracting over 800 people around Australia and raising over $90,000 in funds to go towards research to find life-changing treatments.
Fingleton Crescent Xmas Lights: from the 7th of December leading up to Christmas a generous family with a family member with PWS will be having a fairy light display at 22 Fingleton Crescent, Gordon, ACT. You can give to this campaign here. Do something different this Christmas and donate!
On the 10th November 2018 at Seagulls Club Tweed Heads NSW, Shaine “Twinkle Toes” Mutton, Jamie “Tough Man” Tough and Nathan “Monsoon” Manczal all entered an amateur boxing event to raise funds and awareness for PWRFA.
For more information please visit Shaine's event page, or email Shaine at pradershaine@gmail.com.On the 26th May 2018 Shaine Mutton entered a bucket list amateur boxing event and raised over $28,000 for the Prader-Willi Research Foundation of Australia. "I recently became aware of a work colleague’s daughter who was diagnosed at birth with Prader-Willi Syndrome. It wasn’t until I invested some time to understand the syndrome that I started to appreciate its severity and the impact it has on families and communities. I felt compelled to do whatever I could to generate awareness and funds for research" - Shaine.
The We Love Lucy Gala held in Manly, Queensland in February 2018 raised over $25,000 for our research programs. We are so grateful to Lauren O'Brien and her incredible team, to the supporters and donors, and to Lucy and her family, for making the event the huge success that it was.
In December 2017 we launched a fundraising campaign to fund Phase 2 of our Magel 2 gene research project. Thanks to this successful fundraiser, the Johnson family and PWSA NSW, this project is now underway.
Early in 2017 the Johnson family, whose little Mabel has PWS, raised funds to enable Phase 1 of our Magel 2 gene activation project, in partnership with Associate Professor Marnie Blewitt at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research.
Lou's Mission 4 PWS. Lou ran in various events throughout 2016 to raise funds for the Prader-Willi Research Foundation of Australia. "I know this charity will make an enormous difference to many lives affected by this disorder, including ours" - Louise.