Charities

Breakthrough is Australia’s only dedicated mental health research foundation.

We exist to support ground breaking research that will help to transform the lives of those affected by mental health issues.​

Our goal is to fund evidence-based research to better understand what causes mental illness, how to reduce its impact and ultimately prevent mental illness from happening in the first place.

Through investing in science-based research, we believe we can change these alarming statistics:

  • 44% of Australians may experience mental illness at some point in their life.
  • 50% of diagnosable mental illness onsets between the ages of 11 and 14.
  • 75% of diagnosable mental illness onsets before the age of 24.
  • 9 Australians die of suicide every day.
  • More young Australians aged 15-44 die from suicide than any other cause.
  • $180b is the annual cost of mental health in Australia.

Breakthrough identified that mental health issues were growing at an alarming rate, with existing services unable to slow the growth of mental illness – the biggest health challenge in our lifetime – and its devastating impacts.

Recognising that more needed to be done, a foundation dedicated to fixing the problem through mental health research has been established.

 

 

Agape Outreach Inc. is a charity organisation making a difference in the lives of hurting, broken, and disenfranchised people. Founded on January 26th, 2009, Agape began when Theresa Mitchell found she could no longer walk past people on the street. So, she began handing out a small number of meals in her local area, cooked in her very own kitchen.

Agape, now based on Recreation Street in Tweed Heads, has more than 200 volunteers and 4 employees. It is volunteer-based and made up mostly of retirees and university interns with a heart for people. We operate between Byron Bay on the North Coast of New South Wales and Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast in Queensland, providing over 800 hot meals weekly to vulnerable people on the streets and various services. Click on the link below to view all the facilities and services our Agape Hub provides.

Agape (from Ancient Greek agápē) means ‘unconditional love’ and embraces a profound sacrificial love that transcends and persists, regardless of circumstance. It is what we desire to pass on to others every day.

Farm Angels (former Drought Angels) was established in 2014 in a response to the needs of our primary producers impacted by extended periods of drought. Since then, Farm Angels has expanded to provide not only financial assistance, food hampers, care packs and mental wellbeing support but also hope. 

Since 2014, Farm Angels have provided nearly 1,000 personal wellness checks, over $250,000 in direct financial support to farmers, provided goods to farmers and rural communities to the value of $300,000 and celebrated the contribution of their volunteers, who has provided over 2,200 hours of direct volunteer hours to assist those in need.

 

 

Sheltered by Grace, established in 2010, is a compassionate not-for-profit organisation based in Logan, Queensland.

With a mission to sustainably end homelessness, they focus on building a supportive community and providing essential shelter and targeted programs. Sheltered by Grace believes in the power of transformation, working tirelessly to restore dignity and independence to those facing complex challenges such as addictions, mental health issues, and domestic violence. Join them in their journey to create a world where everyone has a safe place to call home, and together, make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need.

 

 

 

The word “Kintsugi” literally means “golden joinery” and refers to the ancient Japanese artform of repairing broken and cracked ceramics with a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver or platinum. Thus, a beautiful and unique work of art emerges with the cracks and breaks now part of its beauty. The philosophy of Kintsugi honours life experiences whether good or bad. By highlighting the repair of cracks or breaks in a ceramic piece, the events of the past become part of its beauty. There is no attempt to conceal the damage, the repair literally illuminates each scar.

The stories of the Kintsugi Heroes celebrate the scars we gather over time; the breaks, knocks and wrinkles which should not be hidden as they create our own unique beauty. When we heal and overcome these wounds, we provide inspiration and encouragement to others and show them that they can also overcome their challenges and become whole. Our stories will cover a wide range of adversity topics including abuse, addiction, crime, dysfunctional family, career or business failure, grief and loss, financial hardship, mental illness, physical illness, relationship breakdown and more.

Our Kintsugi Heroes have a wide variety of backgrounds across genders, cultures, languages and ages.
The hero stories are available through audio and video podcasts and also available in E-books and printed books.