STEPtember launches for 2023: Australia comes together to move for cerebral palsy

Join the Movement towards inclusion today and move the equivalent of 10,000 steps a day this September to support people with cerebral palsy continue to lead full and independent lives.

STEPtember, Australia’s most popular and inclusive virtual fundraising challenge, is back for 2023 to raise vital funds for people with cerebral palsy, the most common physical disability in childhood.

Since its foundation in 2010, STEPtember has grown to become one of Australia’s favourite fundraising initiatives. Last year, more than 120,000 Australians came together to raise more than $10 million for life-changing treatment and services.

STEPtember is an initiative of Cerebral Palsy Alliance, the ground-breaking global centre of expertise for cerebral palsy research, advocacy, therapy and technology innovation.

Funds raised during STEPtember go towards a wide range of initiatives to help people with cerebral palsy live their best possible lives, including:

• Babies at Risk: identifying babies at risk of cerebral palsy and providing early intervention therapies during critical early days of development
• Cerebral palsy research: funding the world’s best and brightest scientists and researchers to make innovative breakthroughs in prevention and treatment
• Assistive technology: equipment and devices that change lives through enabling greater mobility, communication and independence such as eye-gaze technology that allows people with cerebral palsy to communicate
• Youth programs: advocacy and community programs to empower teenagers and young adults with disabilities to take on new challenges, build skills and be part of a community
• Remarkable: a startup accelerator committed to developing tech startups that amplify human potential and reduce barriers for people with disability.

As well as providing vital funds, STEPtember has also grown into a vehicle for real social change, building an international community of people with cerebral palsy, their families, friends and allies to raise awareness of a condition which affects 17 million people globally.

In 2023, this commitment towards real change has expanded with the launch of STEPtember for Schools, a new way for children and school communities to celebrate inclusivity, model inclusion and make a positive impact.

“STEPtember challenges the community to get moving, improve health and well-being, and connect with others while making meaningful impact for people with cerebral palsy,” said Rob White, CEO of Cerebral Palsy Alliance.

STEPtember has become more than just another charity event, it’s a movement bringing together hundreds of thousands of Australians each year towards a more inclusive society for all Australians with disability, support people with cerebral palsy to live their best life, and to find ways to prevent cerebral palsy for future generations.”

Participants can take part in more than 40 activities to complete a daily target of 10,000 steps, such as swimming, adaptive sports, frame running, basketball, walking, cycling, gardening, Pilates and even housework.

Caused by damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth, cerebral palsy is a life-long condition that can affect a person’s motor skills, speech, movement and balance.

In Australia, a child is born with cerebral palsy every 20 hours, making it the most common physical disability in childhood.

To register for STEPtember or make a donation, head to https://www.steptember.org.au.