The Crows Foundation provides support to various programs helping South Australian children in need.

The Crows Foundation has recently committed $10,000 for three years to The Smith Family to support the delivery of Let’s Read, an early literacy support program designed to encourage parents to read with their young children. This is the single most important activity that parents can do to develop their child’s future ability to read and write. Reading aloud with children also supports their language development, and promotes a parent-child bond that enables parents to relate positively with their child. Let's Read is an initiative of the Centre for Community Child Health, is being implemented across Australia in partnership with The Smith Family.

The Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) is the primary responsible organisation for people who are blind or vision impaired in South Australia. Services range from adaptive technology, orientation and mobility, RSB Guide Dog Service, counselling, print alternatives, recreation and sport services, low vision clinic, employment and industrial services to name a few. These services are provided by the RSB free of charge.

Young people are our future. Developing them to their full potential is a top priority. One practical way to develop this huge reservoir of talent is through participation in the Award. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an international, non-competitive, flexible program for all young people aged 14 to 25. The Award expands personal horizons and explores potential talents and interests and operates in over 120 countries. Activities in the four sections of the Bronze Silver or Gold Award are intended to provide a balanced program reflecting different aspects of a young person’s development.

Until the last decade or so, Cystic Fibrosis was a ‘childhood disease’ since most people with the condition sadly died before the age of 18. However, with advances in treatment including better medications, the (limited) availability of transplants and most importantly a greater emphasis on physical fitness have increased life expectancy dramatically. People born with CF today have a 50:50 chance of seeing their 35^th birthday and it is hoped that continued advances in treatment and, perhaps, genetic research will continue this trend. Treating CF is a time consuming and expensive business. 40-60 tablets a day are required to aid digestion, other nebulised drugs to clear the lungs must be taken several times a day, physiotherapy is usually required twice a day (although this can be reduced if a sporting or physical activity is undertaken) and most children with CF will be admitted to hospital 2-4 times a year for a period of around 14 days each time.

IN2LIFE Inc run a mentoring program called RUSH for "at risk" South Australian children aged 12 - 16 years experiencing personal and behavioural difficulties at home and school.  Trials of the mentoring program has found that regular mentoring by a professional trained, committed and caring adult on a school campus canprovide significant and positive support for a student (mentee) struggling with ways to deal with issues being experienced.  These issues include ealry school leaving, drug use, depression, anger/agression, and learning difficulties.  The volunteer mentor as a non-school staff member has a unique trust and respect of the mentee as they consider strategies of dealing with major personal issues affecting their health and well being.

Support from the Crows Foundation will enable the training, accreditation, supervision and debriefing support of approximately 30 new volunteer mentors in two secondary colleges in Underdale and Salisbury providing mentoring supprt to approximately 30 young people.  The IN2LIFE INc national model of training anf supervision will ensure the local project operates within 'best practice' and delivers positive and successful outcomes.

The Crows Foundation have committed to supporting this program for a possible term of at least three years with a trial commitment during the first year.  The Crows Foundation look forward to long relationship with IN2LIFE Inc and supporting troubled South Australian children through an excellent mentoring program.

The Crows Foundation were pleased to announce their support of Flinders Medical Centre Foundation in particular the project of refurbishing the Flinders Medical Centre Paediatric Unit.

Built 30 years ago, this unit was outdated and in need of a major uplift as well as many vital inclusions of key medical areas.

The Flinders Paediatric & Child Health unit is the second largest provider of children’s health in the state and treats more than 3,500 children as in-patients each year as well as more than 5,000 children through various out-patient clinics, and 13,000 children through paediatric emergency.

The unit cares for children between the age of one and 18 years old. Some of these children have serious conditions and therefore require prolonged stays of anywhere up to two months.

The refurbishment provided:

• more single bed rooms to reduce the risks of cross infection

• sound proofing between bed bays to reduce noise levels

• improved lighting

• a more efficient nurses station to improve slight lines into rooms

• glass walls to provide better sightlines into patient’s room

• two infection control rooms

• new day surgery area

• new play room and outdoor play area

Cross infection is one of the greatest areas of concern for the hospital and its young patients. The new upgrade created many more single rooms, removing four bed bays, to reduce cross infection risks. The upgrade also provides for an increased nurses’ monitoring area, for more effective supervision, as well as better lighting and sound management.

The overall upgrade of the Paediatric Unit will cost $2.7million. The Crows Foundation have pledged a one off donation of $15,000 as a sponsor of the playroom and have committed to a $50,000 donation over five years as a sponsor of the Crows Foundation room.

The redeveloped unit is now known as the “Variety Children’s Centre at Flinders Medical Centre”.

The Future Parents Program (FPP) is an early intervention program which strives to prevent and reduce the incidence of child abuse through a series of courses specifically designed for young men and women aged 13 – 19. This innovative early intervention program is run over eight weeks and provides practical child care knowledge and skills, personal self development and access to information and resources for positive parenting attitudes and behaviour.

The FPP is a holistic/hands on program involving young people in positive parenting classes. It incorporates child protection/child abuse procedures, daily planning, feeding children and correct behaviour management. Issues are discussed and problems shared within the group with the support of a parent / trained counsellor. It enables a child to parent their own children, care for their siblings and other peoples’ children. The course is provided free to participants in order to maximise participation and courses are conducted at neighbourhood community centres or youth agencies and are co-facilitated by a worker from the centre - and Save the Children staff trained - in order to provide additional community links for the young people.

Over the last 17 years, Save the Children’s award winning FPP has been delivered to thousands of young people throughout Qld, WA and the ACT while Save the Children has developed effective working partnerships with many local community agencies and Indigenous organisations.

Save the Children is implementing a pilot program in the northern regions of SA comprising of three eight week courses and the Crows Foundation have committed to supporting the first year with a view to continue support into the future.

The Good Start Breakfast Club is a community program run by Australian Red Cross, where volunteers serve breakfast every day for school kids in areas of greatest need..

This vital service provides nutritional support in a comforting environment and works towards encouraging children to develop social and living skills. Through nutritional and social support, the Good Start Breakfast Club program can help young school students to achieve their full potential.

The program targets primary school children. Good Start Breakfast Clubs are open for participation to all children in a school. This not only ensures everyone has the opportunity to receive a nutritious breakfast and to learn vital social and nutritional skills, but that the possible stigmas associated with participation are reduced. Geographic areas considered socially or economically disadvantaged are given particular focus.

The Crows Foundation is happy to be a sponsor of a great initiatve for South Australian children.

The Adelaide Football Club has been a supporter of the RFDS in different capacities over a number of years. Recently our association with the RFDS was further extended when the Crows Foundation made a generous donation of $16,000 to enable the purchase of a new Infant Humidicrib.

Crows captain, Mark Ricciuto went to the Adelaide Hangar to present RFDS Corporate Partnerships Manager, Simon Peucker with the cheque. Ricciuto, a Waikerie boy and new dad, is very familiar with the importance of the RFDS to the Riverland and other regional communities.

The new Humidicrib will be used to transfer premature and new born babies who may be suffering from a wide range of medical complications and require higher levels of treatment not generally available in smaller regional hospitals. It is an important piece of equipment that allows the nurses to very accurately control temperature, humidity and oxygen levels, thereby reducing the energy it takes for sick babies to keep warm and continue breathing at a time when their system is already compromised.

This donation will enable the Royal Flying Doctor Service to continue assisting children right across South Australia.

Camp Quality is committed to bringing hope and happiness to very child living with cancer, their families and communities through ongoing quality recreational and educational programs.  Camp Quality is a non-profit organisation that support over five thousand families each year through recreational, educational and finanical support programs. These programs provide fun therapy to children living with cancer and their families to help them get through the bad days and celebrate the good ones.

It is for these reasons that the Crows Foundation is so willing to support Camp Quality. The Crows Foundation have provided financial support to Camp Quality to help fund a trip for children to the Commonwealth Games in 2006.