The Warrnambool Racing Club (WRC), along with the Leila Rose Foundation (LRF), have today announced an incredible new record for donations raised during the 2026 TAB May Racing Carnival.
The iconic 3-day carnival, held earlier in the month at Warrnambool Racecourse, saw tens of thousands of racegoers donating to LRF via various fundraising initiatives that will now go towards supporting families affected by rare childhood cancers.
The partnership between WRC and LRF was announced in early November where the LRF were presented with the top level of funding within WRC’s 2025-26 JUMP: A Charity Partner Initiative (JUMP initiative) at a morning tea.
With post-Carnival tallying now complete, the LRF achieved an incredible $57,543 in donations. This record amount triggered a cap-out of the dollar-for-dollar matching provided by Beyond Bank, who will also contribute a further $20,000 to the total, taking the final figure raised to nearly the $80 thousand dollar mark.
Dr Andrew Chow, Founding Director of LRF, said “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated volunteers, sponsors, the Warrnambool Racing Club, and Beyond Bank Australia and we are deeply grateful for their generosity, unwavering support and for helping shine a light on the important work of the Leila Rose Foundation.”
Dr Chow continued, “This was a true community effort, with Warrnambool businesses generously supporting the campaign by selling Leila Rose Foundation pins, race day crowds getting behind us and all with the incredible backing of Beyond Bank.”
Warrnambool Racing Club Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Danielle Keilar, said “We are beyond thrilled for the Leila Rose Foundation and their outstanding fundraising efforts at this year’s Carnival. For such a small group of dedicated volunteers to achieve another record-breaking result through the JUMP: A Charity Partner Initiative is exceptional.”
Ms Keilar also added that, “The local and extended racing community continue to demonstrate the passion they have not only for the Carnival, but also for the important causes supported by our Charity Partners.
As the initiative continues to grow year on year, it’s fantastic to see past and present JUMP Charity Partners come together and support one another. The sense of community behind the initiative is incredibly special, and the result achieved this year is something we’re very proud of.
WRC Committee Member and JUMP initiative chair, Maree Lane, said the partnership with LRF exemplified the community spirit at the heart of the May Racing Carnival.
“The response from racegoers and the Warrnambool community this year has been outstanding. The Leila Rose Foundation brought real initiative to this partnership, introducing fundraising badges for the first time – something no previous JUMP partner has done – and it clearly resonated with the crowd.”
Ms Lane also commented that, “What’s been equally impressive is the way our charity partners are supporting one another: the Foundation has been in active conversation with last year’s recipients, the Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club, to learn from their experience, and is already preparing resources to help future JUMP partners hit the ground running.
This is exactly the kind of community spirit the May Racing Carnival is built on, and we couldn’t be prouder of this result.”
Grant Howland, Community Development Manager at Beyond Bank, stated “The Leila Rose Foundation is clearly an outstanding cause and we are so honoured to partner with them as they support families going through the toughest of times. Community is at the heart of everything we do, and we are proud to partner with more than 5000 not-for-profit groups and clubs around Australia.”
Mr Howland also added, “Because we are so deeply invested in local communities, we have the privilege of seeing first-hand not only the hard work of these charities but also the real outcomes they deliver for people everywhere.”
