Community support & participation

Brisbane Lions FC

In partnership with the Brisbane Lions, Bupa has created an innovative program aimed at boosting the fundraising efforts of local charities and community groups, as well as encouraging school students to keep healthy and active.

The Bupa Schools Assist Program allows children from more than 150 Queensland primary and secondary schools to become active through sports clinics and by providing them with sporting equipment donations and tickets to Brisbane Lions matches at the Gabba. This gives Queensland children the opportunity of a lifetime - to be coached by, and have a kick with, some of their favourite Lions AFL stars.

Importantly, Bupa is working in partnership with the Brisbane Lions to engage with the entire community through practical ways that will have lasting benefits.

Australia Cricket team

Bupa is a leading Australian healthcare group and is excited to be the official health partner of Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricket Team. We’re also proud to support the country’s premier four-day competition, now named the Bupa Sheffield Shield.

As the Australian cricket team’s preferred health insurance provider, Bupa’s role includes providing their medical and coaching team with access to healthcare expertise from around the globe. The partnership is helping Australia to be in the best of health to regain its position as the number one cricket team in the world.

With over three million Australian members Bupa is well placed to support the team’s healthcare requirements. Importantly, Bupa is part of a wider healthcare group that operates in 190 countries around the globe, which will ensure the wider playing and coaching group can access leading healthcare advice regardless of where the team is playing.

Emirates Western Force

Bupa's partnership with Emirates Western Force began in 2005 and continues to inspire West Australians to lead active and healthy lifestyles.

As an inaugural sponsor of the Western Force team, this partnership has been an important component of Bupa’s commitment to the community.

Since early 2010, Bupa and the Western Force team have taken rugby sports clinics and healthy lifestyle tips into the community. The Bupa Force Express Program focuses on the promotion of physical activity, good nutrition and positive choices among the young. Participating school children receive an activity book from Bupa and Western Force with tips for making healthy lifestyle choices.

Bupa is also creating once in a lifetime opportunities by giving participants in its Bupa Mascots community program the chance to run onto the field with the Western Force players at Super Rugby games.

Through these Programs, Bupa is inspiring the future generation of Australia's rugby stars.

Hawthorn FC

Bupa is proud to continue a 20 year plus tradition supporting the community with the Hawthorn Football Club. Hawthorn Football Club.

In Tasmania, Bupa and the Hawks have launched a joint initiative aimed at encouraging school children to lead healthy and active lifestyles through a travelling roadshow called Bupa Hawks Express. The roadshow visits schools, festivals and community centres encouraging Tasmanians to get active through footy clinics.

The Tassie Hawks in Schools Program is a joint initiative between the Hawthorn Football Club, Tasmanian Government and Bupa through which every primary school across Tasmania has received a free sports pack that aims to encourage all Tasmanian school children to have fun being active. In addition, all grade four students received a Hawks and Bupa activity booklet . Developed in conjunction with the Tasmanian Department of Education and Bupa, the booklets provide kids with fun and engaging tips about making healthy lifestyle choices.

The 2012 Santos Tour Down Under

In January 2012, Bupa will be marking its 10th year as a major sponsor of Santos Tour Down Under (TDU), South Australia’s premier cycling event.

This week long festival of entertainment is enjoyed by over 782,000 fans and showcases some of the world’s best cycling teams. As major sponsor, Bupa has naming rights to the “Bupa Challenge Tour”, a ride which encourages all people to get involved in this event and do something healthy and active. This iconic event is a natural fit given Bupa’s ongoing commitment to support local events and promote the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

The Bupa Challenge Tour is the official recreational ride of the Santos Tour Down Under. On Friday 20 January 2012 more than 8,000 cyclists will take to the roads around Adelaide in the Bupa Challenge Tour at the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under.

As part of our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our people, we encourage you to get involved in this event. Start locations and start times:

• 138km - Norwood, 6:30am, Norwood Town Hall, Norwood
• 102km - Gumeracha, 7:00am, Gumeracha Oval, Gumeracha
• 79km - Mt Pleasant, 7:30am, Mt Pleasant Oval, Mt Pleasant
• 33km - Tanunda, 9:00am, Tanunda Oval, Tanunda

For more information visit the Tour Down Under website

View or download the Stage 4 map

Life Education

Bupa is supporting youth drug education programs by partnering with non-profit organisation Life Education.

Life Education provides health education that supports and strengthens primary and secondary school drug and health initiatives. The program equips students with knowledge, values, attitudes and social skills to enable them to make informed health and lifestyle choices.

Each year 750,000 children in 3,100 schools across Australia participate in Life Education programs delivered by 120 trained educators in over 100 mobile and static classrooms.

Bupa awarded Life Education a grant of $175,000 in 2010 to recreate a teaching module called All Systems Go, which teaches kids in lower primary school about positive lifestyle choices to keep the internal body systems strong and healthy.

Very Special Kids

Very Special Kids provide volunteer support, counseling, bereavement support, parent activities and family camps to families who are caring for a child who has a life-threatening illness or whose child has died from such an illness.

For the last seven years Bupa has sponsored the annual Piggy Bank Appeal, the annual Victorian fundraising initiative for Very Special Kids, raising over $600k. Through the Piggy Bank Appeal, Very Special Kids is able to run the Very Special Kids House, Australia’s first hospice for children.