Heart Foundation (Victoria)

The Heart Foundation is Australia's leading not-for-profit heart health organisation, working since 1959 to build community awareness about heart disease. On average, every year more than 46,000 Australians die from heart disease, stroke or blood vessel disease; that's a life lost almost every 10 minutes.

How we make a difference:

Support and Prevention
We run Australia's only heart health information service. Enquiries are answered by our professionally trained staff. Telephone 1300 36 27 87 for the cost of a local call. The Heart Foundation develops best-care clinical guidelines for doctors to ensure hospital patients living in all areas receive world-class care.

Medical advancement
We have helped achieve some of the most significant heart health medical advancements in the world. From the introduction of pacemakers, to pioneering healthier food choices through the Tick program, we are striving to provide the very best heart health information for Australians. For every $1 invested in cardiovascular research, there is an enormous $8 return on investment.

Research
The Heart Foundation is the largest non-government source of funding for leading-edge heart research. We're funding more than 220 research awards in 2008 alone.

Public Awareness
The Heart Foundation conducts many public campaigns to raise awareness of cardiovascular health in Australia. We also run Heart Foundation Jump Rope for Heart, Australia's best school-based skipping program, as well as many community-based walking programs.

Loads! It’s a common misconception that heart disease only happens to older people, when in fact it is also a leading cause of death for young people, especially children. At the Heart Foundation, we run lots of events and love when people get together and do some fundraising for us. Here are some ways you could get involved:

• Our Annual Doorknock Appeal runs for the whole month of September and we always need people to collect on our behalf. Get a few of your friends together and get some exercise while meeting your neighbours, or jump online and do an email doorknock – it’s a really easy and fun way to raise funds!

 

• Go Red for Women is our national campaign to raise awareness of women and heart disease. Many people are unaware that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in Australia, killing four times as many women as breast cancer. Get involved in June by running your own event, like a healthy morning tea with your girlfriends and help raise some much needed funds.
  
• Volunteer! We are always on the lookout for dedicated and passionate volunteers, especially people for our speakers program! Get in touch with us for more details.

Did you know?

• The Heart Foundation relies almost entirely on public donations and receives little government funding.
• Cardiovascular disease will effect two out of every three families and is largely preventable