The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) will raise funds to fight childhood dementia as part of celebrating the 50th anniversary of its South Australian Charity Luncheon.
Childhood dementia is caused by over 70 rare genetic disorders, and results from progressive brain damage, according to the Childhood Dementia Initiative (CDI). Globally, 700,000 people are estimated to be living with childhood dementia today, according to a CDI factsheet.
In an interview with ANZIIF, South Australian mum Renee Staska shared that her three children – aged eight, six, and four – suffer with a rare form of childhood dementia.
“There are good days, but even the rainbows and lollypops days like Christmas and birthdays are overshadowed by the fear of what the future might bring for my children. They are my world,” she said.
The luncheon, to be held on May 12, will see ANZIIF and Little Heroes Foundation team up to provide a platform for the South Australian insurance industry to generate awareness and raise funds for a good cause.
Founded in 1996 by former Adelaide Crows player Chris McDermott, Little Heroes Foundation is an organisation that raises funds for essential equipment and services accessed by thousands of seriously ill children with rare illnesses.
“Our drive and passion have always been and will continue to be about providing South Australians with the very best of care and treatments for their individual situations,” McDermott said in a recent statement. “We all need to make a stand, choose something, [and] think of the big picture as well as our own small one.”
Last month, ANZIIF announced that it chose well-known FIVEaa radio host Leith Forrest as the MC of the luncheon.
Forrest has been friends with McDermott for 20 years. He spent nearly two decades working on the FIVEAA sports show and AFL coverage. Having hosted the radio station's shows in every time slot, he is now the new host of FIVEaa nights. In September, he will celebrate his 23rd anniversary as a producer and announcer at the station.
ANZIIF's South Australian Charity Luncheon will be held from 12pm to 4pm ACST on May 12, 2023, at the Adelaide Convention Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia.
