10 March 2021

The Findex Community Fund (FCF) partner charities are the cornerstone of our vision to create equal access to opportunity in the areas of health, education and entrepreneurship. Since 2018, the FCF has donated over $1.6m to charities across Australia and New Zealand.

Aligning with our focus on health and improving the lives of patients and their carers, we partner with Ronald McDonald House Charities to provide accommodation for families supporting seriously ill children in hospital.

Since the establishment of our relationship we have funded 1,250 nights of accommodation for families such as Meika’s family.

This support is what kept Meika and her family going when she was receiving chemotherapy for a rare eye cancer. Diagnosed in December 2018, Meika’s parents had no idea what was wrong with their once healthy daughter. At first, doctors suspected it could be a virus, stroke or Bell’s palsy.

When doctors told nine-year-old Meika’s parents that it was cancer, they were crushed. Treatment started in January and Meika’s mum, gran and siblings moved into Ronald McDonald House. They stayed there full-time, while Meika received chemo and radiation.

As Meika’s mum, Tegan, says, “It would have been impossible to make the four-hour trip home as Meika was bedridden and too unwell to travel.” Instead, Meika’s family settled in at Ronald McDonald House where they were able to do all the everyday things families do: cook meals, watch movies, and enjoy trips to the zoo or aquarium. Meika’s family became such a part of the house, that Meika’s little brother Archer calls it “home” and it’s where her baby sister first crawled, talked and walked.

On her better days, having her family close by meant Meika could bake with gran, play with her siblings and hang out with the friends she’d made in hospital. Friends she still visits every time the family travels back for appointments.

Tegan can’t imagine what life would have been like without Ronald McDonald House. “There is no way I could have done it without the support of RMHC. I would have blown up with anxiety and stress. I will be forever grateful.” she says.

We are proud to be able to support Ronald McDonald House Charities particularly through the effects of 2020 and also look forward to our staff volunteering to cook family meals throughout 2021.

You can donate to the Findex Community Fund to support our mission to create equal access in the areas of Health, Education and Entrepreneurship via our website.