About Us
Our mission is to raise funds towards essential equipment and services for children suffering from physical or mental illness.
Our vision is to fulfill the unmet needs of seriously ill children and their families, to ensure they have access to the very best care, regardless of how rare the diagnosis is.
The team at Little Heroes Foundation strives to be: Inclusive, Inspirational, Effective, and Fun
OUR STORY
“Two Boofhead Footballers using their Mugs to raise money for Crook kids” – HG Nelson
Shortly after the inception of the Adelaide Crows, two of South Australia’s finest sporting heroes Chris McDermott and Tony McGuinness met two young boys named Nathan and Nicholas. Chris and Tony developed a strong friendship with the young boys over the next two and a half years, discovering that Nathan had been living with a brain tumour that had plagued his young life, and Nicholas had been diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Unfortunately, both boys passed away from their conditions.
Chris and Tony were so touched by the boys’ brave struggles that their passing inspired them to launch the McGuinness McDermott Foundation, with the aim of improving on existing support services and facilities for children and their families who had been diagnosed with cancer or serious illness.
In tribute to Nicholas and Nathan, the Playdeck café funded by Little Heroes Foundation in 2006 at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital was named the ‘NicNat’ Café.
Our projects and programs are researched and implemented as part of our ongoing vision, to ensure the physical and mental well-being of South Australian children and give them access to the very best care. Each new venture continues to be inspired by our ‘Little Heroes’.
Over the past 27 years, we have contributed close to $40 million towards new equipment and facilities at Adelaide’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH), which has funded major pieces of equipment and refurbishments.
To this day, children remain the inspiration behind everything Little Heroes Foundation does.
OUR CURRENT INITIATIVES
CHILDOOD DEMENTIA
In Australia, over 2,000 children are living with childhood dementia, a disease causing a child to progressively lose skills such as the ability to write, read, talk, walk, and play. This can happen over months, years, or decades as their brains slowly deteriorate, eventually leading to the inability to keep the body functioning properly and, eventually, to keep the body alive. Childhood dementia causes around 90 deaths a year, a similar number to deaths from cancer in children aged 0-14.
Childhood dementia is currently overlooked both as a health and social issue. Little Heroes Foundation aims to contribute to treatments and eventual cures for this disease, as well as equitable and quality care for people and families affected.
CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Recently Little Heroes Foundation partnered with Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation and together with support from Flinders University’s Professor Philip Slee and Dr. Grace Skrzypiec, they have developed the Big Talks for Little People campaign – an online mental health module for primary school age students (7-12 years) within South Australia and the Northern Territory. The program focuses on prevention through early and meaningful education, covering topics on; conflict resolution, resilience, relationship building, problem-solving, optimism and mental health literacy. The Foundation has also seen the installation of Friendship Benches in many schools, providing children with a physical space where they can have conversations with each other about mental health.
Little Heroes Foundation is a not-for-profit and relies heavily on the support of the community and their Corporate Sponsors. It is everyday people like you that help us make a difference in the lives of children and their families who need it most.