FECRI benefits from trust gift

COVID-19 impacts on fundraising have affected many charitable causes and the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute is no different.

The institution, which receives no government funding, has seen many of its main money rising efforts hampered in 2020. That’s why a sizable donation from the Jim and Shirley Richards Trust is helping make a difference.

“It is very pleasing to announce that a donation of $80,000 from the Trust has been given to Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute to help develop research in Ballarat,” said trustee Andrew Byrne from BJT Legal.

The money will be put towards FECRI’s detection of novel proteins on cancer cells project, an area of focus for the Institute’s director Professor George Kannourakis.

That research program uses over 150 samples from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients that have been collected during the last 22 years.

“Many of the CLL patients do not have symptoms or signs of disease, despite some patients having up to one-kilogram of tumour load in their body,” Professor Kannourakis said.

“I have been fascinated by these well patients for many years and they have agreed to donating blood samples to research over many years, in some cases over 20 years.”

The Jim and Shirley Richards Trust was created following the latter’s passing in 2019. Mr Richards died in the early 2000s.

Living in Wendouree the couple had no children and subsequently left part of their fortune to the trust which is used for community causes, as well as cancer research.