Starlight Children's Foundation Australia

Fremantle Dockers & Starlight’s Purple Haze is back 💜 🚀 To celebrate the 22nd annual Purple Haze, Fremantle Dockers will wear a special jumper paying tribute to our very own Captain Starlight – superhero of fun for sick kids in hospital! ⭐ This year’s design signifies the journey of Captain Starlight on their rocket, brightening the lives of seriously ill children and their families, while navigating difficult experiences in hospital. 🤝 Freo and Starlight arranged an extra special training session for 5 lucky kids where they also received their very own Captain Starlight inspired Freo jersey to wear this Sunday! 💜 You can help support Purple Haze by pledging a donation for every goal Freo kick! You can make your pledge at fanspledge.org.au

Storm shoots for the stars with Starlight for the 8th consecutive year! ⭐🚀 As part of our long-standing partnership, Starlight kid and Storm super fan Liam went along to Storm HQ for the day where he got a BTS tour, meet his favourite players and play a little footy himself! Why? Because happiness matters to seriously ill children. 💜 Melbourne Storm x Starlight charity game is back again this Saturday 20th July against the Roosters. You can help make every try count for sick kids like Liam by buying a virtual try. Simply head to buyatry.org.au to help us reach our goal of bringing joy and laughter to more than 2,500 seriously ill children.

⭐👏 Thank you to all who participated in our first ever Starlight Super Steps during May 2024! Collectively, we achieved over 220M steps and raised enough funds to make hospital a happier place for over 17,500 kids! And the need for this is stronger than ever. The challenge may be over, but you can still support Starlight by donating at starlight.au/donatetoday Pictured here is our Starlight team out on a walk to get their steps up during the challenge… with a side of team bonding!

The ‘Stars of the Future’ experience was one to remember ⭐✈️ 💜Starlight and Virgin Australia teamed up to bring six sick kids with hope and dreams in aviation an action-packed day to help make them smile. 💛 Fitted with their very own pilot and cabin crew uniforms, the children and their families went behind-the-scenes with Aviation Australia and Brisbane Airport Corporation as VIP members of the ‘VA Crew’. Friendships formed quickly, with the children bonding over their aviation passions and hospital experiences. 🤩 Happiness matters to seriously ill children. That’s why Starlight exists. And we can’t create these moments of happiness without the support of our incredible partners. 🤝 Our partnership with Virgin Australia is one that makes a difference to the lives of seriously ill children. And that’s something to celebrate! Kate Slaytor Taylia Collis Patrick Millington Buck Louise Baxter Nicole Bowen Kirsty Beed Courtney Smith

🤝 Partnerships with corporate networks like Caltex Australia are an integral part of ensuring we can continue to bring happiness to seriously ill children. 💜 Every year, we look forward to seeing the entire Caltex Australia team get behind their Starlight Week fundraiser. Individuals and teams engage in creative fundraising activities that suit their personal strengths. 🚀 From raising awareness through purple and yellow store decorations, to bake sales or raffles. From recycling initiatives to playing dress ups – the Caltex teams go above and beyond to help give back! 👏 This year, stores across the country helped to create 7,471 positive hospital experiences for seriously ill children. 🙏 Thank you to everyone individual who has contributed to this initiative - both team members and customers. You’ve made a difference to the lives of sick kids and their families… and that is the transformative power of giving 🚀

Starlight’s Healthier Futures Initiative supports improved health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. 🚀Partnering with healthcare professionals, Captain Starlight visits children in remote Communities, like Zackarius and Paneta, to help make health clinic experiences more positive for children and their families. 💜💛 This helps us make a positive impact on the wellbeing and happiness of these children. A happy childhood is associated with greater social connectedness, enhanced sense of self, and healthy life behaviours. This is why happiness matters.  Children are our future, and supporting their health, wellbeing and resilience can ensure all children in Australia have a bright future! #NAIDOCWeek #NAIDOC Reconciliation Australia #KeepTheFireBurning #BlakLoudAndProud

Starlight are proud to be a Telethon7 Beneficiary in 2024... And the countdown is on! ⏰100 Days to Telethon. 💜 After visiting the GP for a relentless ear infection, Amara’s mum Samantha recalls the worry she felt when being told her eight-year-old daughter was in kidney failure and then finally being diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. During countless hospital visits and the toughest times, Captain Starlight was there to provide fun and laughter for whole entire family! 💛 “Even during our first stay, when everything was so up in the air, being visited by Captain Starlight and playing games put a big smile on Amara’s face. Without Starlight, everything would have been a lot less bright,” Samantha said. Telethon7 will be supporting Starlight, helping to brighten the lives of sick kids just like Amara! Mark the dates in your diary – October 19 & 20 Telethon7

Fremantle Dockers player Bailey Banfield made a promise to Nicholas, and he kept it 🤘💜 Ahead of the exciting 22nd Starlight Purple Haze game, Bailey Banfield and Tommy Emmett from Freo Dockers visited the Starlight Express Room, alongside young fans out on the wards at Perth Children’s Hospital. You too can help brighten the lives of sick kids like Nicholas by taking part in Purple Haze this year, pledging a donation for every goal kicked by Freo next weekend! 🕸️🕷️ Who knows… we might even see some more spidey celebrations! Sarah Sosnowski Cath Petsos

Excitement. ⭐ There is no other word to describe the feeling of the Starlight Express Room at Sydney Children’s Hospital when Chris Hemsworth stopped by for a visit. 🚀 Chris played games, answered questions and took photos with children, their families and hospital staff… and Captain Starlight of course! 🙏 Thank you Chris Hemsworth for stopping by and being a source of positive distraction for seriously ill children when they need it most.

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme is “Keep The Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud!” 🖤💛❤️ This celebrates the strong spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, encouraging solidarity and amplifying the voices that have long been silenced.    Starlight’s commitment to reconciliation is embedded into everything we do – and this would not be possible without our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group.   ⭐ Starlight’s RAP Working Group is integral to the creation and delivery of our RAPs. Like Starlight and our RAPs, the Group evolves to ensure we continue to build reconciliation at Starlight – and beyond.   ⭐ Starlight’s RAP Working Group is made up of Starlight Team Members, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Team Members. They work with the broader Starlight team and consult with Reconciliation Australia to develop and create our RAP.   ⭐ They also help organise events, provide learning opportunities and share important stories to communicate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.   📷 Pictured are some of our RAP Working Group members meeting together, from different parts of the country, to organise our NAIDOC Week celebrations for 2024! #NAIDOCWeek #Reconciliation #KeepTheFireBurning Louise Baxter Joanne Barkl Rachel Wald Stacey Watson Brent Riley Kathryn Tohill Jesse Butler Tegan Reidy Samuel Jenkins Meg Strickland