The George Kranitis Juvenile Arthritis Fundraising Dinner 2008 raised an incredible total of over $90,000, to help continue valuable research towards finding a cure for Juvenile Arthritis.
The Fundraising Dinner was held at Doltone House in Sylvania Waters, Sydney, on the 11th of July.
The George Kranitis Juvenile Arthritis Fundraiser is a result of Mary Kranitis’ determination to assist in finding a cure for the cruel disease of Juvenile arthritis, which her 11-year- old son, George has been battling with since the age of two and other children with the same condition. The event also aims to raise awareness about this little known disorder.
The fundraising initiative started in April 2007, when Mary took on a challenge to raise $25,000 to start a research scholarship for Juvenile Arthritis. With the enormous support of community, the Juvenile Arthritis fundraiser raised over $80,000 in its first year, far exceeding her expectations. This year the event was attended by over 400 distinguished guests, who donated generously to raise a total of about $90,000!
Radiomarathon, the fundraising initiative that helps kids with special needs, has been a strong supporter of the event since 2007. Laiki Bank, which organises the Radiomarathon initiative, covered a part of administrative costs associated with the fundraising and provided two staff to administer the funds and process the EFTPOS transactions.
Soteris Hadjikyriacou, a trustee of Radiomarathon Trust and Head of Retail & Branch Network, Laiki Bank
Australia
, applauded Mrs. Kranitis for her unwavering motivation and hard work. He congratulated her for successfully organising the Juvenile arthritis fundraiser for second year in a row and pledged a donation of $15000 on behalf of Radiomarathon.
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis or JIA affects 1 in 1000 children in
Australia
. Juvenile Arthritis affects kids’ knees, ankles, wrists and fingers. JIA can also affect the skin, tendons, muscles and eyes. One-third of children with juvenile arthritis develop Uveitis (inflimation of the eyes). There is currently no known cure for Juvenile Arthritis.
The George Kranitis Juvenile Arthritis/ Uveitis Scholarship part of the Faculty of Medicine at the UNSW, is conducting research to devise an effective treatment and ultimately a cure for this severe disease. However, securing ongoing funding is a key challenge to continued research. All proceeds from the fundraiser will be directed towards this scholarship unit..
People who were not able to attend the event can still make their donation at any Laiki Bank branch or by depositing into the following account:
George Kranitis Juvenile Arthritis (Radiomarathon)
Account Number: 489120
BSB: 942 202
The successful event is just one of the many events and organisations supported by Radiomarathon throughout the year. In 2008, Radiomarathon raised more than $355,000 to help about 30 organisations supporting the less fortunate children in our community. Find out more on the Radiomarathon website at www.radiomarathon.org.au.
