As the end of the financial year approaches, Canteen Australia is calling on our community to help us reach our vital goal of $617,000. Your tax-deductible gift before June 30 will directly fund the services young people need to overcome the long-term disruptions cancer causes to their education, careers, and mental health.
Why your support is urgent this end of financial year
Did you know that cancer carries an estimated $1.3 million lifetime cost per diagnosis? For young people (aged 12-25), the financial and developmental impact is often borne long-term.
Our research reveals a staggering gap in opportunity:
- Employment Gap: Only 50% of young people affected by cancer are fully engaged in work or study, compared to 81% of their peers.
- Mental Health Barriers: Almost 75% say mental health challenges directly affect their ability to reach their education and career goals.
Closing the gap with Canteen’s ECS
Canteen’s Education and Career Service (ECS) was created to close this gap. By supporting 364 young people last year, ECS helps them rebuild confidence, return to study, and re-enter the workforce.
- 100% of young people were satisfied with the ECS service.
- 92% reported they received exactly the support they needed.
Josh’s story: The hidden cost of cancer
“Because of Canteen and our kind supporters, I found purpose.”
Josh was just 18 months old when he was diagnosed with cancer. While he was too young to remember the surgery or chemotherapy, he grew up with the weight of what came after.
"Growing up, cancer never really left me," Josh explains. "I still suffer immune system issues and live with the constant fear that cancer could return."
In his teens, chronic illness led to chronic absence from school. "People thought I was faking being sick and I felt like I was being left behind. Long after my treatment ended, cancer was costing me my education, social connections, and confidence."
Everything changed when Josh found Canteen. Through counselling and peer support, he connected with others who understood the long-term toll of cancer. Today, as a Youth Ambassador, Josh has found a sense of purpose he never thought possible!
How your EOFY donation makes a difference
Canteen Australia is a registered charity with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. To help young people like Josh find a future beyond cancer, consider one of the following impact gifts:
- $70 - Community and connection: Enables a young person to find hope through vital peer-support sessions.
- $200 - Education and Career Support: Helps a young person access an ECS session to provide the resources they need so they don’t get left behind.
- $450 - Confidence to lead: Sends a young person to a Foundations of Leadership session to help them find purpose beyond cancer.
Give before June 30
Your compassion today opens the door to confidence, education, and hope. By making a tax-deductible donation in Australia before the end of the financial year, you are ensuring that cancer doesn't have the final say in a young person's future.
MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TODAY
