Sydney Markets Foundation

Freshmark has a long history of involvement in charity fundraising activities. Whether providing bushfire brigade units with a fire engine and fire fighting equipment, supporting the drought appeals, sending disadvantaged kids to the Sydney Olympics, raising funds for the Tsunami victims, supporting young athletes in their quest to represent Australia or just helping out a person doing it tough, Freshmark is at the forefront of Sydney Markets charitable initiatives.

In the last 20 years Freshmark, with the support of its members and the Markets community, has raised millions of dollars for charities, including Variety the children’s charity, the Children’s Hospitals at Westmead and Randwick, Victor Chang cardiac research, Cancer Council, Prostate Cancer Foundation NSW, Ostomy NSW, Guide Dogs, Child Flight, Canteen, Spastic Centre, MS Society, Fred Hollows Foundation and Save Our Sons.

We have a very active Charity Committee involved in our many fundraising activities, including major annual events such as:

• Sydney Markets Race Day
• Sydney Markets Foundation Cherry Auction

A driving force for the establishment of our own Markets charity, Sydney Markets Foundation, is to take our charity activities to a new level by encouraging greater involvement both financially and through the voluntary commitment of the Markets people. Our Markets family are very generous when it is for a good cause but they also like to feel that they are part of the whole process; they like to see that their donation goes to the person in need.

Sydney Markets Foundation, as a charity with Deductible Gift Recipient status, is able to reward the smaller giver, the general hand and the forklift driver, by being able to immediately issue them with a personal tax-deductible receipt for their donation.

The Friday night ‘Race to Race’ function at Canterbury Park in February 2011 heralded the start of a new era in Sydney Markets’ charity and fundraising efforts, with the first fundraising function for the newly established, Sydney Markets Foundation. 260 guests enjoyed good food and company in the exciting atmosphere of night racing while digging into their pockets in response to MC, Glenn Wheeler’s encouragement to buy another raffle ticket.

‘We started Sydney Markets Foundation so we could directly help those in need, particularly people associated with the Markets and the industry who are doing it tough. When we were organising this function , we had no idea we would be facing our first challenge so soon; with the terrible floods up and down the eastern half of the country and now the cyclone in Queensland, plus the bushfires in WA.’ Commented Foundation Chairman, Bill Chalk.

While the Foundation is owned by Freshmark, it really belongs to the whole of Sydney Markets. This is one of the reasons why two of the Board members are nominated by Sydney Markets Limited.

The Foundation has also established an emergency relief fund to respond quickly to urgent requests for immediate support.

Board Members

Bill Chalk                             Chairman
Mark Kelly                           Deputy Chairman
Frank Petulla                       Vice Chairman
Joe Antico                            Treasurer
Gerry Daras                          Member (SML Nominee)
Michael Golden                   Member (SML Nominee)
Martin Clark                         Secretary / Public Officer

Ambassadors

Mark Vincent                        

Jayme Richardson