Crazy John's is a strong believer in social responsibility and the importance of giving back to the community. It supports a variety of charities and special causes and to date, has donated over $1.5 million to charities Australia-wide. These include:
Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation
In 2006, Crazy John's decided to make a major difference through its charitable activity in one particular aspect of Australian life that is getting worse – food allergies.
After discovering one of their daughters, Jaida, had a severe allergy to peanuts, John Ilhan (founder and CEO of Crazy John's) and his wife Patricia decided to form the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation. In May 2006, John was particularly proud to personally launch the Foundation with an initial donation of $1 million. The Foundation's aim is to support research to determine the causes of food allergies that affect one in twenty Australians and also educate the community in the benefits of safe and healthy allergy-free diets.
In its short lifetime, the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation has:
- Created considerable publicity to raise awareness of anaphylaxis and food allergies
- In December 2006, committed $750,000 to medical research into better understanding food allergy, improved diagnostic tools and possible preventions and treatments
- Worked co-operatively with the Victorian State Government to commit an extra $430,000 per annum to expand the allergy clinic at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne – this will result in dramatically reducing the waiting list for patients to consult with an allergy specialist from 18 months to around 8 weeks
- Helped launch a program by the Victorian State Government to commit an additional $1.5 million to train teachers and childcare workers in the area of food allergy management and the application of an Epipen
- Produced a cookbook Fast Ideas Safe recipes for Kids, especially created and coded for kids with allergies
- In conjunction with Firbank Grammar School produced a school curriculum Healthy Living Program to raise awareness amongst teachers, staff and students.
The Shane Warne Foundation
Launched on 25 June 2005, the focus of The Shane Warne Foundation is to raise money for seriously ill and underprivileged children and teenagers. Crazy John's CEO, John Ilhan was an ambassador for this important new charity and explained why he loved the charity:
"Children are the future of our society. The way our community nurtures and protects our children will be reflected in the future of our nation. I am delighted to be able to assist Shane in enhancing the opportunities available to the children of our community, through his charitable foundation. I am sure Shane's foundation, with his enthusiasm for the cause and the support of his Board Members will make a lasting contribution to enhancing the opportunities available to our less advantaged children."
The Salvation Army
Crazy John's is currently funding the Salvation Army's Brunswick headquarters to provide a hearty breakfast for all the homeless in the area. This donation was particularly important to John as his first store was in Brunswick.
Rotary Club of Brighton
John was a member of the Rotary Club of Brighton. The club is currently working on a fundraising initiative with the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation.
Brainwave Australia
Brainwave was established in 1994 as a charitable body with the aim of funding medical equipment for the treatment of paediatric brain cancer and other neurological disorders. The specific focus on children led Brainwave into assisting the neurosurgery area of the Royal Children’s Hospital and, subsequently, the Neuroscience Department formed from an amalgamation of the departments of neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and nursing.
Kids Under Cover
Kids Under Cover is a Victorian not-for-profit organisation. Its focus is to raise funds to build homes for homeless and at risk young people within the community. In March 2004, Kids Under Cover expanded its current service to include a Scholarship Fund. This fund will be made available to young people in care who have the passion and drive to go on to further education.
Thanks to the generous support from Crazy John's, the Kids Under Cover Scholarship Scheme is already changing the lives of our young people in need. Crazy John's commitment over four years will ensure the funds continual growth in the long term.
Winmar Cup & The Lighthouse Foundation
Crazy John's is a supporter of The Winmar Cup through an association with the St Kilda Football Club.
Named in honour of Nicky Winmar, one of the Saints™ most exciting former players, the Winmar Cup celebrates the contribution of indigenous Victorians to VFL and AFL football. As Nicky Winmar is originally from WA (but presently residing in Victoria) and West Coast Eagle, David Wirrpunda is a Victorian by birth, it is fitting for Winmar Cup matches to be played out between St Kilda and the West Coast Eagles.
To further promote and help indigenous Victorians, the Winmar Cup will be utilised to help promote and raise funds for the Lighthouse Foundation. The Lighthouse Foundation is an Australian, non-denominational, not-for-profit organisation, dedicated to empowering young indigenous people to take responsibility for their own lives. Crazy John's sponsorship of the Winmar Cup means funds have gone directly to this worthy cause.
Royal Children's Hospital — Neonatal Unit
With assistance from Crazy John's, the Royal Children's Hospital Neonatal Unit was able to purchase two mechanical ventilators. These ventilators enable the hospital to provide complete artificial breathing to babies with severe lung disease or other conditions which prevent them from breathing. They are state of the art ventilators and will have an expected life span of approximately 6–10 years. This equipment provides a major advance in the ventilation of babies because they possess electronic sensors that recognise the minute by minute ventilator needs of the infants thus protecting their lungs from damage and rapidly improving their outcome.
St Vincent de Paul Society — Ozanam House Rehabilitation Scholarship Fund
To assist homeless people, especially those recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, Crazy John's contributes to the Ozanam House Rehabilitation Scholarship Fund.
The purpose of the fund is to provide education and skills training so that people can re-enter the workforce and rebuild their lives. This program is one of the many programs offered by St Vincent de Paul which attempts to offer people a pathway out of homelessness – it's not just "a hand-out", it's "a hand-up" – by giving them the hope of being able to help themselves.
St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services are supported by the Melbourne Community, including the legal and business community.
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
Crazy John's provided a major boost to the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute's fundraising at The Marquee on Crown Oaks Day, 2003 generously donating $50,000 towards the establishment of an international paediatric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) research centre.
The MRI centre will help researchers understand brain development and brain injury, particularly in premature infants. More than 3,500 premature babies are born in Australia each year. As we get better at saving babies born as early as 24 weeks into pregnancy, an urgent need has arisen to understand the outcomes for these babies.
Of the premature babies that survive, some will have cerebral palsy or developmental delay. MRI allows researchers to "see" how the babies’ brains have formed and how they are functioning, leading to new intervention strategies and prevention of disability.
MCRI conducts life-saving medical research into the many conditions that affect babies, children and adolescents including cerebral palsy, cancer, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, asthma, allergies, deafness, infectious diseases and depression. MCRI is a major Australian research institute located at the Royal Children's Hospital and affiliated to the University of Melbourne. It is a non-profit organisation supported by government and generous private and corporate donors like Crazy John's.
Muscular Dystrophy Association
Crazy John's are proud supporters of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and the Melbourne's Delights project. The MDA is delighted by the contribution Crazy John's have made to increasing community awareness of Muscular Dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders. The commitment and support provided by John and Crazy John's is helping the MDA to Make a Difference in the fight against Muscular Dystrophy.