10 Amazing Australian Charities That Are A Force For Good

The good folk at /r/Australia have been nominating worthwhile charities. Stop being such a tight-arse and get your cash out.

Yesterday Reddit Australia asked their community to nominate awesome charities.

thinkstockphotos.com.au

They asked: "Who deserves a little more awareness and does good work in the community?" Here are some of the answers.

The Fred Hollows Foundation: Improving Indigenous Health. Call 1800 352 352.

hollows.org.au

"Fred Hollows Foundation. Every $25 you give restores someone's eyesight." – Redditor pvtbobble.

"I donate to Fred Hollows every month. I went through a period of time a few years ago trying to find a good charity to "adopt" and settled on them.

There are many worthwhile charities, but to me it's just such a simple and worthy idea. $25 to restore somebody's vision? That's insane. I sat there and thought about being blind, especially in these third world countries it's basically a death sentence, you could spend $25 on a meal at a pub and that's all it costs to fix somebody's eyes?" – Redditor complex_reduction

"My family always supported them while I was growing up, seemed like a really clear cut donation that made a big impact." – Redditor decentcustard.

Australian Red Cross: People Helping People. Donate here.

redcross.org.au

"Australian Red Cross!!

They do so much - most people know about the blood service and disaster work, but they also help feed hungry people, work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, support people with mental health issues, give carers respite, help homeless people find houses, help communities figure out how to be stronger and reduce crime, help young people make smart decisions when using drugs/alcohol, support refugees in community detention. They're brilliant." – Redditor GoUnbuildWalls

Indigenous Literacy Foundation: address literacy levels in remote communities. Donate here.

"Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Their Vision: Our Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by focusing on ways to improve their literacy levels. We believe that a young child's future educational experiences can be greatly improved through enjoyable and positive engagements with books in both the family and community environments at an early age." – Redditor Aboriginal_English

Australian Men's Shed Association: Shoulder To Shoulder. Call 1300 550 009.

mensshed.org

"Men's Shed. It's a great way for blokes to stay involved in the community, hang out with like-minded men and so on." – Redditor not_just_amwac

"I spent 5 minutes reading about this and I still have no idea what the fuck this is.

Do they actually give people a shed or is that some kind of metaphor? I see all this talk about "emotions" etc but then they go back to the shed.

I can't figure out if this is an arts/crafts initiative or some kind of mental health initiative." – Redditor complex_reduction.

"It's both. A lot of men, particularly the retired, don't have a support network. Sheds are a stereotypically bloke-y thing where mates connect to talk and make shit. Scattered about the country are sheds where blokes are encouraged to do just that - make shit and chew the fat so they stay engaged and thus are less likely to suffer a mental illness." – Redditor not_just_amwac

Royal Flying Doctor Service: The Furthest Corner. The Finest Care. Donate Here.

flyingdoctor.org.au

"The RFDS. It's an essential service to rural areas, some of which are a little less rural than you might think. They also fly a whole lot more than you might think. I 'own' a patch of sky on the Adelaide-Renmark route, and they fly through it about 14 times a week.

I have a personal connection, too. In my life, they've flown my Dad twice, my Granddad twice, my Aunt once and my Grandmother once. I'm only 22. You'll never know you'll need them until you need them." – Redditor fphhotchips.

Lifeline: Crisis Support. Suicide Prevention. Call 13 11 14

lifeline.org.au

"So Lifeline accepts donations of stuff you no longer want, like old couches or a shirt, which helps the environment by recycling old stuff. They then sell these to anyone, for cheap prices, which helps poor people. They then use their profits to operate their hotline centers, which helps everyone, such as individuals suffering from depression.

Lifeline is honestly, across the board, a top notch charity that helps Australians in multiple different areas. And although they have a religious founder, they're secular, so none of that funny business some 'charities' get.

God they even have a massive book fair every year, and stereotypically people think reading is a good thing for humans to do." – Redditor zdotaz.

Fitted For Work: Helping Women Find Work And Keep It. Donate here.

fittedforwork.org

"Fitted For Work is a job readiness program for disadvantaged women in Sydney and Melbourne.

My Mother-in-law is one of their volunteer social workers and my Wife has provided HR advice.

They provide job hunting and interview assistance and they use donations of professional attire to ready their client's wardrobe for interviews and work. Its focus is on women who find themselves having to find work for the first time or after a long work gap.

It's a good time to look into supporting them if it interests you as I expect their resources will be stretched with the upcoming changes to the welfare system." – Redditor Migwelion.

Thin Green Line Foundation: We Protect Nature's Protectors. Donate here.

thingreenline.org.au

"Australian Story did a story on the Thin Green Line Foundation recently, which really struck a chord with me. It supports park rangers who are often directly in the firing line of poachers intent on killing endangered animals.

It's estimated that 1000 rangers have been killed in the past 10 years. It's a bit ridiculous that people are still willing to kill other people for things like ivory and rhinoceros horns. At least with a bit of support from these guys, the rangers get some training and equipment which helps them stand a better chance." – Redditor iheartralph.

The Smith Family: Everyone's Family. Donate here.

thesmithfamily.com.au

"On Christmas Eve 1922, five businessmen walked into a Sydney orphanage carrying armfuls of toys and sweets.

They walked out inspired by a single goal: to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in Australia.

When asked who the children could thank, one of the men, preferring to remain anonymous, said “Smith”.

“What about the others?” the matron asked. “They’re Smiths too”, replied the man. “We’re all Smiths. We’re The Smith Family.”

And so, The Smith Family was born.

Massive bonus points for being a secular charity!" – Redditor karma3000.

Exodus Foundation: You Can Make a Difference. Donate here.

exodusfoundation.org.au

"Great place in Sydney, though they do work from India to SE Asia, among other locations. Involved in literacy campaigns, feeding the homeless, mental health etc. They also serve a ridiculous amount of hot meals, over two locations, 365 days a year." – Redditor barefoot_tweaker.