The Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players' Fund was established in 1980 to help improve the quality of life of South African rugby players who have suffered serious and/or catastrophic injuries on the field of play.
At present, the Fund has around 100 recipients, each of whom receive ongoing assistance in order to help them to lead a productive life.
The 2009 rugby season in particular highlighted the need for such a Fund: no less than three players died in rugby-related activities across the country, while another two are now quadriplegics, who will require the best possible medical care for the rest of their lives.
The Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players' Fund, through its chairman and founder, Morné du Plessis, and general manager, Gail Ross, is committed to providing these players with the tools to help them regain their independence.
"If you think about it, a quadriplegic without wheels is like an able-bodied person without legs," says Morné du Plessis. "Our main aim must be to provide those players with the means to take their lives forward in a positive manner."
The Fund is also closely involved in the prevention of injuries, thanks to its association with the BokSmart National Rugby Safety Programme (www.boksmart.com), which was officially launched in July 2009.
BokSmart is a joint initiative between SA Rugby, the Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players' Fund and sponsors Absa, and its main aim is to reduce the amount of serious and catastrophic injuries in our rugby.
The Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players' Fund receives donations from the public and private companies, in addition to hosting two annual fundraising events, namely a celebrity golf day, and a gala banquet featuring a live telethon where the phones are manned by members of the Springbok rugby team.
In 2008, over R700,000 was raised through pledges made at the annual Bell's Night of the Stars Rugby evening, and in 2009, the Fund achieved its target of raising R1-million for the victims of catastrophic rugby injuries.
The Fund currently has around 100 recipients, and the personal situation of each and every recipient is taken into account when deciding how best to provide them with the best opportunity to regain their independence and lead a productive and positive life.
For some, this may mean the purchase of a laptop computer or a wheelchair; for others, it may mean providing funds to allow wheelchair access to a particular former player's home, or to make alterations to a home to make it more user-friendly for a quadriplegic.
Every case is different, which is why the Fund, through its chairman Morné du Plessis and general manager Gail Ross take a personal interest in the needs of each and every one of the Fund's recipients.
The Chris Burger/Petro Jackson Players' Fund currently provides assistance to 95 catastrophically injured South African rugby players.
Please click on the link below to hear some of their stories:
Success Stories