Meaningful Moments

Your fundraising moment is enabling Black Dog Institute to improve the lives of people impacted by mental illness. We want to celebrate this meaningful moment! You are a part of our inspiring community of fundraisers helping to create a mentally healthier world for everyone. Why is fundraising for mental health important to you?

Wayne knott

Looking back I have always struggled with some form of depression. Like most young South African males in the early 1980s, I completed military service. Many of us were only 17 or 18 years old, and we saw and did things no young man should. Looking back, I experienced frequent episodes of depression and anxiety, and over the years, I lost many friends who took their own lives. A few years ago, as I began slowing down and transitioning into retirement, episodes of hopelessness and anxiety became even more frequent. Work, which had always given me a sense of purpose, was suddenly gone. Fortunately, I discovered Ironman triathlon, and it became a transformative outlet for me. The physical challenge is incredible, and being part of a core group of friends I interact with daily has provided a much-needed space to communicate and share. Recently, a lifelong friend took his own life, which had a profound impact on me and brought back memories of my own darkest times. It was then I decided that for my next Ironman—on my 60th birthday—I would fundraise for a cause that helps people struggling with similar challenges.

Darren Jolly

My mental health decline started several years ago when my 13 year AFL football career ended without warning. The chance to thank the people who helped me achieve success, was taken away from me. I underestimated the transition from club life to normal life and I found myself floating through life with no real direction. Compile that with an unexpected brain operation, financial issues and toxic marriage, everything came to a head and I fell into a dark hole mentally. I couldn't see a way out. I would often sit in my car at night alone crying not knowing what to do. How to fix things. I felt trapped in my thoughts and couldn't see a way out. I sadly tried to end my life on two occasions because I thought it was the only way to fix things. I never told anyone about how I was feeling. For most part of my life, I believed being vulnerable as a man and talking about your feelings was a sign of weakness. I never talked to anyone about how I was feeling, what I was struggling with, and the dark thoughts I was having. The lightbulb moment came to me while I admitted myself into a mental health facility. I slowly started to take control of my life and made tough decisions to get in back in the direction I wanted it to. I talked to professionals, I talked to my family and friends, I prioritised my health, my sessions with my psychologist and I learned coping strategies to deal with my thoughts. I decided to organise a golf day to raise money for Black Dog Institute because I'm now in a position mentally to help others who are struggling. I have a goal of raising $50k for Black Dog as I know the money I raise for them will help fellow Australians who can't see their way out of their mess. I love playing golf and I use the time I play as a mental release. So what better way to raise money than to have a fun, relaxed golf day with people who want to support me and my fundraising goal also.

Hsing Yun Education Foundation

We share a deep commitment to improving mental health outcomes, a mission that resonates with the work of the Black Dog Institute. This year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Buddha's Birthday Festival with a VegRun (Fun Run) event in Darling Harbour, and wanted to support a charity that prioritises our shared values of health and well-being and makes a significant contribution to mental health awareness and support Our goal was to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and the groundbreaking work of the Black Dog Institute. We believe that by highlighting Black Dog Institute's initiatives and resources, we can inspire our community to engage more deeply with mental health issues and support.

Zac Chapman

Setting off in January this year, I set out to walk solo from Melbourne to Perth to raise awareness for men's mental health and Black Dog Institute. After experiencing my own struggles with mental illness and losing my best mate to suicide two years ago, I knew I wanted to get out there and share the important message that its okay not to be okay, this walk was as much for me as it was for connecting with others across my travels and sharing this important message. Along my journey, I've met many wonderful people who have welcomed me with open arms, as I stop and rest/recover in their towns. Pictured here is a new mate for life, Stano, who I met in Port Augusta, South Australia. I have now raised over $2100 for Black Dog Institute and walked over 1050km. This is a cause close to my heart and I am proud of the impact I have made in the lives of people I've met along the way and also the impact my fundraising will make in the lives that need it the most.

Amanda Stelcova - @Doors_Of_Sydney

I started walking the streets of our beautiful Sydney taking photos of the colourful old houses I love, as I suffer from bipolar disorder as well as a disabling chronic illness, & my doctors wanted me to go walking on days when I was well. So in 2019 I came up with the idea to go on walks in search of the most wonderful old doors and houses of Sydney, & my Instagram page @doors_of_sydney was born! After receiving many inquiries about buying prints of my photos, I decided to create a fundraiser for Black Dog Institute. Whereby I would cover the costs of printing, packing and shipping the prints to my wonderful supporters and the remaining proceeds per print would go directly to Black Dog Institute. Through this fundraiser, and the support of my amazing instagram community, we have come together to raise $5,300 for Black Dog Institute and mental health research.

Matt Walker

For a period of time, I considered myself weak and worthless. 2023 was one of the hardest years of my life. Dealing with the loss of a friend, alcoholism and lack of direction in life. I’ve had friends who I consider brothers saying they don’t want to go on. It’s easy to feel lonely and rudderless throughout your mid twenties. I’m running on behalf of my brothers and sisters who struggle everyday. Additionally, I’ll be going sober over this 80 day period. Addiction is a common theme that ties in to depression and suicidal tendencies as a coping mechanism and requires much needed awareness. “It ain’t weak to speak”

ben hansen

We lost 2 friends in a close period to suicide so we decided to do something out of our comfort zone. So 4 of us decided to walk 100km. We completed the walk in 22hrs. The first day was 41 degrees so we left at 4pm In the afternoon and finished the walk at 2pm the following day we were greeted by nighttime storms so walked the remaining 80km with soaking wet shoes. The blisters and pain were very noticeable from 70km onwards but we pushed through and all completed. We raised 9k and were all so stoked with our achievement.

Jen Walton

The Commission Factory Publisher Development team have now been hosting an Annual Charity Trivia night for 2 years, our second being this years with funds going towards The Black Dog Institute. The reason we chose this fantastic cause is that everyone has been touched by mental health issues in some way or another and we want to ensure it is considered just as important as other diseases and illnesses. The event had a fantastic turn out we invited along our publishers across the industry and had a fun night of food, drinks and some friendly yet very competitive Trivia. This event was not only to raise funds and awareness for important causes but also to bring together our industry friends to spend time together, relax and have an enjoyable night right before the big cyber sales week we are all in the midst of now.

Cody Haub

For my fundraiser I ran 6.44km every 4 hours for 48 hours. It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done, adding the 10kg weight vest was a big big challenge for me. Having said that it was a great experience and I am so grateful that it has helped raise funds for a great cause. Cannot thank my support crew enough, even people just sending me through messages was enough to help motivate me to get it done, the people who came along with me for a run here and there was amazing and I’ll be forever thankful to them.

Juliette fuimano

We are fundraising in memory of my brother Jachai Fuimano, who died in 2020 at the age of 22. He died unexpectedly from mental health from a domestic violence relationship and this was the only way he felt he could get out of his relationship. We all miss him everyday he was kind, caring, fun to be around and the life of the party.

Lynn Perrin

We lost Jakob 17th October 2022 to suicide, he was 23 years old. His family and friends have all been affected by this, we all miss him dearly every day. Jakob was my daughter's boyfriend and he was like a son to me and I loved him with all my heart. I told him days before he passed I would always be there for him and I thought this is a way of being there for him by raising money to help others in his name. He would be very proud of everyone supporting this fundraiser for Black Dog Institute and he would be feeling special being in his name. Jakob was very caring and always there for everyone he was quirky and funny. I truly hope he is at peace now but I wish he was still here :(

Gregory Heslop

I wanted to raise money for black dog as they help so many, mental health is passionate to me as I have struggled with the black dog and I meet so many people struggling in their own ways to deal with what is life. We need to lift awareness and get help when people are in need, we also need to understand mental health, build tool kits to help us keep a healthy mind and work to understand our triggers better

achilles bradfield

i have bipolar ii and i have been struggling with suicidal ideation for the last eight years. i’m so grateful to be granted the platform to raise money and awareness for a cause so close to my heart

Darren McIntosh

My cousin committed suicide some 15 years ago, I've lost friends to suicide and mentalhealth and I've struggled with my own demons for some 30 odd years. I'm currently committed to painting in the name of Damo for the next 8 months. Creating abstract and original art to raise funds and awareness. I'd love to break the stigma around this debilitating disease.

Rochelle

I am an ultramarathon runner and will be running 100 marathons in 100 days on the roads of rural NSW between April 1 and July 10, 2023. The motivation for this endeavour comes from the loss of a close friend to suicide from undiagnosed depression in 2020. In NSW, suicide has become one of the leading causes of death for men in regional areas. According to Black Dog Institute research, 65% of Australians suffering with a mental health condition never reach out for help; my aim is to encourage people to make that call for help when they need it, and to promote the services available for support and care. Running 100 marathons in 100 days will entail 4,220 kilometres on the roads around the ACT and Riverina regions, wearing through 10 pairs of running shoes, and reaching out to regional schools and community groups to start vital discussions about mental health along the way.

PJ - Mural Nomad

My name’s PJ and I’m a full time artist, specialising in murals. Last June I left Brisbane and hit the road with my husband and dog in our self converted van. Surprisingly, I got more jobs while on the move than in the city. By the time we reached Darwin, it was obvious I have it figured out and I could continue painting murals for a living anywhere we went. Here in the NT I got contacted by a lovely nurse from the mental ward of the Darwin Royal hospital. They were wondering if I could do a low budget small mural for the white wall facing their windows, overlooking the garden families were gathering together during visiting hours.. During the site inspection I realise how much heart and hard work went into making that part of the hospital welcoming: the garden had mosaics and handmade signs, fruits & vegetable were thriving in every corner. I felt really inspired and touched, so much so I decided to paint the whole side of the building as a donation. During my time working on site many staff members would come out to let me know how my presence and the mural process was sparking unusual positive behaviour amongst the patients. They were excited about the progress and talk about it with each other, engage socially and have something to look forward to each morning. This was my moment. I instantly wished I could do more impactful work like this. I rebranded to Mural Nomad and I started supporting Black Dog Institute while publicly committing to what is a marathon in my industry. 100 colourful murals to brighten up Australia, bringing joy to anyone seeing them.. Starting a conversation about mental health and donating to mental health research to hopefully make a change, together.

Connor - Candy Warhol's Colouring Cans

After 2 major lockdowns and a global pandemic, I think it's important more now than ever to be aware of each other's mental health and how some may be struggling more than others. I know that I feel better when I’m drawing and then I found some research that backed up why that might be. It’s proven to reduce anxiety and depression; and also send us to bed a little happier and help us sleep a little better. Maybe through my books I have combined something that thousands of us enjoy (Breweries) with something that’s really good for our heads. We can appreciate cans and the memories they spark, while unclogging our heads. The Black Dog Institute is dedicated to researching mental health for all ages and do an exceptional job at providing people with the tools to deal with anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. We are aligned. They’ve also been super supportive from the beginning. Everyone’s got their own ways of dealing with it, If one person benefits from my book, it’s music to my ears.

Shane Hafner

My name is Shane Hafner. My friend Cameron and I have been police officers for over 20 years. During that time we have been exposed to incidents that have adversely affected our mental health resulting in a diagnosis of PTSD, thus impacting on our ability to do the job we have loved for so many years. Cameron and I have both developed a love of lawn bowls throughout our road to recovery. To say this has had a positive impact on our mental health is an understatement. The friendly and welcoming environment of the bowls clubs and its members has been integral to our emotional and psychological wellbeing. Participating in the sport allows us to be outdoors, amongst friends and even if only for a short while, free our minds from thoughts associated with work related trauma incidents. Cameron and I had a shared dream of raising awareness not only for mental wellness, but also the benefits of lawn bowls and thus ‘Bowl For Your Lives’ was born. ‘BFYL' aims to raise much needed funds for mental health research, at the same time educating the community about this amazing sport and the sense of belonging it inspires. We created our own Facebook page for 'BFYL' and this has assisted us in sharing mental health awareness and raise important funds for Black Dog Institute to continue their important work. We have teamed up with The Black Dog Institute as our chosen recipient of the proceeds of our fundraising efforts, so far we have raised a tremendous $14,000 towards much needed mental health research. We are currently arranging two awn bowls tournaments to raise further funds for Black Dog Institute, whilst promoting a sport that we love and want to strongly encourage others into as we believe it is a great outdoor sport with beneficial opportunities for those impacted by mental health. I am a strong advocate of encouraging mental health awareness and during my time of being impacted by PTSD in 2011 and again in 2022, I have become a keen walker. This is due to the known fact that exercise of any level is hugely beneficial to those impacted by mental health. That's why this year I have committed to walking 2023 kms in 2023. My aim is to encourage others that being active, to whatever level is able to be done by any individual does help.

Callan Coleman

I wanted to do something different, this led me to creating a 20km walk from Stratford to Briagolong - raising more than $11,000 for the Black Dog Institute. Mental health is so important, in the last 12 months all this stuff has happened [in my community]. It affects everyone which is why I picked mental health. More than 100 people joined for the walk and we had roughly 20 volunteers who helped on the day. I am planning on organising an even bigger and better walk for mental health in 2023, with a larger fundraising goal.

Chris Bushell

I supported of Scott and Pat as they cycled from Perth to Sydney to raise awareness of both the Black Dog Institute and mental health issues. It became apparent as we crossed the country the enormity the impact mental health issues have on individuals from all walks of life.

Terrorconn Gaming

Having lost a few friends and family, and having seen friends, family and myself go through mental health challenges I've tried to do everything I can to understand it more and help others understand it more as well, to best put myself in a position to not only help myself in those challenges but to help others through them too. The majority of my community know how I feel about this cause and have similar stories to my own when it comes to mental health. We've rallied together to show support of the Black Dog Institute and to do our part to help others understand and get the tools and support needed to fight the good fight!

Jeremy Gordon

The Workout for Men's Mental Health started as a challenge but has grown into something special. My hope is that one day in the future we won't need to do this workout to advocate awareness, as people will feel safe and supported by those people around them to be able to get help for whatever it is they are struggling with. That's my dream.

Stephen Bailey

Mental health (and its treatment) is important to me because I have seen firsthand the destruction that mental health problems have on not only on individuals but also on the people that support and love them! This includes members of my own family and friends.

Meaningful moments