Starlight Children's Foundation Australia

Starlight’s partnership with Build-A-Bear Workshop is one stuffed with fun, laughter and happiness 🧸💛 The team at Build-A-Bear Workshop Australia are fundraising for Starlight again this year with their charity hearts program, helping to bring positive distraction to sick kids in hospital! Every heart counts… with all proceeds going to Starlight between 1st September – 13th October💛💜 These funds help to create experiences like this one in Starlight Express Rooms right around the country. Alia Simshauser (née Burt) Katie O'Halloran Kathryn Tohill Danica Bennett

👏 Since 2017, the team at AUSREO has been fundraising to help bring happiness to seriously ill children and their families…. Because happiness matters. The dedication of the Ausreo team has been truly inspiring. Working with their staff, customers, and suppliers over the past 8 years towards a collective goal…. to raise enough funds to bring happiness to 2,585 seriously ill children doing it tough in hospital. 🚀Their innovative fundraising efforts include a Starlight tuckshop across their various Trade Service Centres and office locations, with all proceeds going to Starlight, alongside participating in other fundraising initiatives such as Starlight Day! ⬇️ Pictured is Kristy Lowther from our NSW Partnerships team congratulating the team on achieving this milestone. Congratulations AUSREO on fostering a workplace culture dedicated to giving back…. 🙏 And thank you to your generous staff, customers, and suppliers who generously helped bring happiness to sick kids!

Happy International Dog Day! 🐶Furry friends have a special place at Starlight 🐾 From team members' precious pets making special appearances in virtual meetings, to Starlight Wishes where seriously ill children decide that a new pet would bring them the joy they need 💛⭐ To celebrate this pawsome day, we wanted to introduce you to one of our furry friends Winnie! Winnie recently dressed up as Captain Starlight on their adventure visiting seriously ill children having a rough time in hospital ⭐🚀 We think Winnie and Captain Starlight will be friends fur-ever! 🐾 We’d love to see your best dog puns in the comments below or share a photo of your precious pooch ⬇️

Reasons why you should sign up for Starlight Tour de Kids include: 💪 Helps keep you active throughout September 💜 It’s fun… and we know #HappinessMatters 🚲 Virtual riding challenge connecting you with thousands of Aussie cyclists 👀 Our new Spotify playlist is quite convincing ⭐ Help bring joy to seriously ill children in hospital We're gearing up (see what we did there 😉) to start September 1st so register for the ride that gives back at tourdekids.org.au 🚀 Matt Geraghty Erin Munson CIoF(Dip) Kristie C. Meghann McGee Kate Crimmins Lucie Malone Jess Begg Zachary Bacon Winnie Kwan

✨⭐ Starlight Wishes give sick kids something fun to look forward to and create memories to treasure forever… and for Jordan, his Starlight Wish was all about the Sydney Swans! Jordan was a special guest at training, getting to meet all his favourite players and ask them his burning questions! 🏈 Jordan then attended his first live AFL game where he was able to take part in the guard of honour before watching the Sydney Swans win from a corporate suite thanks to Kapitol Group. 🙏 Thank you to the Sydney Swans for helping Jordan’s Starlight Wish come true!

We are happy to announce that Aigle Royal Group will continue their longstanding partnership as the WA State Sponsor Starlight Five Chefs Dinner 2024. 🙏 Thank you, Aigle Royal Group, for your commitment to creating a positive impact on seriously ill children and their families.

🤝 Spotlight and Starlight join forces once again to help bring the magic of Book Week to life in children’s hospitals across Australia. 📚 As Starlight’s Official Creativity Partner, Spotlight is on a mission to ensure sick kids don’t miss out on Book Week fun, decking out Starlight Express Rooms right across the country with arts, crafts, party supplies, costumes, and more! This means seriously ill children can use their imagination and creativity to design and create their very own Book Week costumes meaningful to them. Thank you Spotlight Ltd for helping to create positive distraction for sick kids when they need it most 💜💛

🙏 “What Starlight does is essential work - it's essential to health and wellbeing. Without it we would have been in a very dark place. Until you actually experience that, you can't fathom how needed services like Starlight are.” – Emily, Sophia’s mum. 💜 Sadly, late last year, eight-year-old Sophia’s carefree world of fun and play was suddenly overtaken by the overwhelming pain and isolation of hospital. 💛Doctors discovered a staph infection in Sophia’s brain, causing an inter-cranial abscess, Osteomyelitis (infection of the bone) in her skull, blood clots and meningitis. She spent months in and out of the hospital, experiencing a range of different treatments. 🚀 Hospital took Sophia away from so much of her old life. Amid so much heartache and sadness, Starlight was there helping to bring moments of joy and happiness. ⭐ “She lived for Starlight,” Sophia’s mum Emily said. Sophia loved the Starlight Express Room so much her mum laughs that they were often first there as the room opened! “We’re so grateful for the support we’ve had from Starlight, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

Let the games begin! ⭐🎖️The Starlight Express Room was full of Aussie pride and excitement when former Olympian and Sunrise presenter Matt Shirvington stopped by to brighten the day of seriously ill children! 💜 With the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing, it was only right that the children challenged Matt to some Olympic-themed fun and games. There were plenty of smiles and friendly competition… a wonderful source of positive distraction for sick kids doing it tough in the hospital.

🚀 Artist Dave Court recently brought his design and tech expertise to the Starlight Express Room to create an out-of-this-world experience for sick kids like Elsie. Dave worked with sick kids on a digital mural being projected onto the walls of the Starlight Express Room. Participants could draw, paint or sculpt a space creature or spaceship and then Dave would utilise his tech skills to project it onto the wall. 💛 When Elsie came into the Starlight Express Room, she was quite flat and quiet… that was until she saw the mural. She immediately began making a butterfly to scan into the Planet Starlight mural. 💜 The second part of the installation – a camera set up to capture kids and beam them live into the mural. Once Elsie caught a glimpse of this, she spent her time playing in ‘outer space’ trying to catch her own butterfly. ⭐ Elsie went from flat and bored to flying through space, full of energy.