The UK parent of Australian-based Envest, Ardonagh Group, has provided two £5000 ($9400) grants to Australian cancer charities. 

Submissions from Envest’s team members Con Tsobanpoulos and Luke Eagle were selected as part of the not-for-profit Ardonagh Community Trust program, and grants will be provided to youth cancer projects, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation – Caidan’s Reach Project, and RUN DIPG.  

The Caidan’s Reach Project, named after Mr Tsobanpoulos’ niece Caidan, who died from the disease aged 22, supports patients with sarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer prevalent in adolescents and young adults. The trust funds will go towards genomic testing, which will help provide information aimed at developing targeted drugs for the cancer.   

RUN DIPG helps find a treatment for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and fatal brain tumour diagnosed in children. The grant will support six weeks of research at the University of Newcastle on experimental therapies for treatment.   

“Having experienced the devastation this has on a family firsthand; this cause is very close to my heart,” Mr Eagle said.  

“My involvement with RUN DIPG remains ongoing, as we have not yet found a therapy that provides kids a chance at better survival or that provides hope to families in such a hopeless situation – but with projects like this, I hope we will get there.”  

Envest CEO Gregory Mullins thanked the trust for helping support a “positive impact in Australia”, saying that members of the insurance business are “uniquely connected to helping people and communities”.  

The Ardonagh Group finalised its acquisition of Envest in February. 

Click here to contribute to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation – Caidan’s Reach Project and here for RUN DIPG.