Australia’s broadest-reaching children’s charity, Starlight Children’s Foundation (Starlight), hopes to raise $1.3 million by the end of June to help make hospital a happy place for seriously ill children and their families. The fundraising appeal launches on Starlight Day (Tuesday, 20 May) and money raised will help keep Starlight’s essential hospital programs running nationally.
Every minute of every day, a child is admitted to hospital in Australia. In that moment, they often receive a diagnosis which turns their world upside down. Suddenly, their smiles disappear, and their lives are filled with hospitals, doctors, needles, and pain. That’s why Starlight exists - to bring happiness to seriously ill children when they need it most.
Funds raised will help support more than 33,000 seriously ill children across the country access Starlight’s hospital programs, including Captain Starlight, the Starlight Express Rooms, and interactive digital platform Planet Starlight which is accessible to seriously ill children everywhere via any internet-connected device.
These programs see Starlight partner with healthcare professionals to transform the hospital experience for seriously ill children to help them thrive, as well as bringing them and their families together to enjoy social connections and a sense of belonging within hospital.
In the year ahead, Starlight expects almost 400 daily visits to Starlight Express Rooms nationally and Captain Starlight will visit over 550 seriously ill children on wards in children’s hospitals across Australia every day. Starlight will also provide 170,000 Planet Starlight experiences for hospitalised children across Australia by the end of 2025.
Sian Morley experienced first-hand how vital Starlight’s programs are after her daughter Alice (pictured) was diagnosed with Orbital Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and invasive soft tissue cancer behind her right eye, when she was just three years old.
Alice endured six months of chemotherapy and 28 rounds of radiation to her right eye but had to have her eye removed to save her life. Her treatment involved long hospital stays, periods of isolation and suffering side effects from her medication. Since her first week in hospital however, Alice has had Captain Starlight by her side to help her stay positive.
When she was well enough to do so, Alice visited the Starlight Express Room every day. She loved to laugh, do craft activities, and play silly games with Captain Starlight, escaping the realities of the hospital wards and painful treatments that had taken over her life. When she was unable to visit the Starlight Express Room, Captain Starlight would always stop by the ward to help keep her smile shining brightly.
“What Starlight offers is important. Giving our children a sense of fun, laughter and happiness is paramount to their wellbeing. Even though they are navigating tough times, they still deserve to feel like kids. Starlight gives sick kids their childhoods back, and we are so grateful for their ongoing support,” said Sian.
Starlight CEO, Louise Baxter said: “When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, they are torn away from their daily routine, their school, friends and everything which is familiar. Imagine for a moment…this was your child. This life-changing diagnosis and everything which follows, seriously impacts a child’s ability to be happy. This is where Starlight comes in.
“Starlight positively transforms the healthcare experience for seriously ill children, providing important social and family connection and creating moments of fun through entertainment. Through positive distraction, Starlight helps support the mental health and wellbeing of seriously ill children. This boosts their confidence, builds their resilience and improves their health outcomes.
“Starlight exists thanks to the generosity of the community. So, this Starlight Day, if you believe happiness in childhood matters, please donate to Starlight. Every donation is much needed and truly appreciated and all donations made online between 13-21 May will be matched by one of our major donors and partner Mineral Resources so people can double their impact.”
Providing Australians with another way to make an even greater impact, Starlight partners Spotlight and The Lott will collect customer donations in stores nationwide throughout May.
Additionally, Caltex will contribute to Starlight for every purchase of select retail items and coffees across 19-26 May.
For more information on Starlight Day, or to donate, please visit www.starlight.org.au
Key Facts:
- Today is Starlight Day which launches Starlight's biggest national appeal.
- Starlight hopes to raise $1.3 million by the end of June to help make hospital a happy place for seriously ill children and their families through our vital hospital programs.
- Today all donations made online will be matched by Starlight's generous major donors and partner Mineral Resources which means you can double your impact!
About us:
About Starlight Children's Foundation
Starlight Children's Foundation brightens the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children and young people by replacing pain, fear and stress with fun, joy, and laughter. Since its establishment in 1988, Starlight has expanded to become the broadest reaching children’s charity in Australia and has been consistently ranked as one of Australia's most reputable children’s charities in Reptrak’s Charity Reputation Index. Starlight has also been recognised as a Great Place to Work over the years. There is a Starlight Express Room is every major children’s hospital around Australia. In 2024, Starlight created over 4.4 million positive Starlight experiences for children, teenagers and their families, and Captain Starlight brought fun and laughter to 115 hospitals and 125 remote communities. Starlight also granted 491 wishes in 2024, and almost 170,000 online sessions on interactive platform Planet Starlight www.starlight.org.au
Contact details:
For additional information or to set up an interview with a Starlight spokesperson, please contact:
Alice Spence | [email protected] | 0421 940 689