A firm believer in providing direct assistance to those in need, Mark created the Mark Webber Challenge Foundation (MWCF) in 2006 to umbrella all of his philanthropic activities - which chiefly revolve around the Challenge at present. Importantly, the MWCF allows Mark to select who benefits from his fund-raising efforts and to ensure all funds are 'applied to the source'.
'People, Planet, Plus' - the MWCF Vision
Mark was keen for his Foundation to have vision and meaning which is why its contribution can be simply summed in the phrase 'People, Planet, Plus.'
People
Mark's 'people' focus is to provide opportunities through funding for young Australians with life threatening illnesses
Planet
Mark's love of fitness and the outdoors has made him acutely aware of how stunning yet fragile our natural environment is. That's why Mark has pledged funds from his Foundation to Australian environmental and conservation protection projects.
Plus
The 'Plus' aspect of Mark's vision is the measure - Mark wants his Foundation to be a 'Plus' for young people with life threatening illnesses and a 'Plus' for our natural environment.
Donations can be made online or via cheques made out to the Mark Webber Challenge Foundation and sent to Suite G1, 63 Stead Street, South Melbourne Vic 3205, Australia.
This year the Mark Webber Challenge Foundation will be partnering with the following charities:
The Leukaemia Foundation is dedicated to the care of kids and adults with blood cancers.
The Foundation provides all of its services free to patients, such as driving them to and from hospital, providing accommodation in apartments during treatment (average length of stay is 6 months), home visits by nurses, counselling and financial assistance with bills.
The Foundation also funds cutting edge research into better treatments and potential cures. Leukaemia is the No. 1 form of childhood cancer so the Foundation is committed to funding research grants and scholarships for talented scientists to study causes, diagnosis and treatment.
Raises much needed funds to support the Save the Tasmanian Devil program. It funds high-priority research and management actions. A new and deadly disease unlike any previous wildlife disease is threatening the Tasmanian devil.
Within a few years the devil's numbers in the wild have declined so rapidly that it has been listed as vulnerable to extinction, under State and National legislation, and if trends continue it will become endangered.
People the world over love the Tasmanian devil. It is an icon and a symbol of Tasmania. With the extinction of the Tasmanian tiger in 1936, the Tasmanian devil is now the world's largest meat-eating marsupial.
The appeal monies will establish an insurance population safe from the disease, where healthy devils produce healthy pouch young capable of being released to the wild in the future; develop ways of protecting healthy devils from becoming infected, and investigate different anti-cancer drugs.
All of these strategies depend on having sufficient funds.
The Save the Tasmanian Devil Appeal
Last years event thanks to big efforts from MWPTC sponsors, teams and generous supporters raised over $500,000AUD for the 2006 nominated Australian children's charities, TLC for Kids and the Cancer Council Tasmania's Cancer Plus programme. $20,000AUD of the fund-raising total has been pledged to the Tasmanian Devil Appeal. That's a big plus for our young people and our environment.
