Woolworths’ Small Change Appeal has raised $147,312 for Queensland’s sick and injured kids, showing that a little change can go a long way when the community comes together.
From 30 September to 20 October, Woolworths customers had the opportunity to turn an average grocery shop into something much more meaningful.
By purchasing a $2 token or donating at the checkout, shoppers raised funds for Children’s Hospital Foundation to continue delivering care beyond clinical for young patients at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
40 years of life-changing impact
For 40 years, Woolworths has stood beside Queensland’s sickest and most seriously injured children funding world-class research breakthroughs and powering wrap-around care.
One of these children is 13-year-old Ollie, whose hospital journey began just before her first birthday when her heart began to fail.
Thankfully, Ollie was able to receive a life-saving heart transplant at one, but this was not the end of the road for her and her family. At two, Olie began having seizures. By the time she was five, she had become mostly non-verbal and required a feeding tube.
Today, Ollie has undergone brain surgery, lives with global developmental delays and continues to experience complex seizures.
Despite the challenges Ollie has faced so young, programs delivered and funded by Children’s Hospital Foundation – such as music therapy, bedside entertainment and Book Bunker – bring moments of quiet joy and hope to Ollie and her family.
“Thanks to the generosity of our Queensland and Northern New South Wales communities over the past 40 years we have been able to support the incredible work the Children’s Hospital Foundation does every day,” Woolworths Supermarkets’ Queensland Assistant State Manager, Sophie Hobden, said.
“It remains an absolute privilege to partner with the Children’s Hospital Foundation, helping to make a real difference for kids, just like Ollie, and their families when they need it most,” Sophie Hobden said.
Over the last 40 years, Woolworths support has created a legacy of improving the lives of countless children and families across Queensland:
- Raised over $67 million for sick and injured kids across Queensland and northern NSW
- Funded the Woolworths Medical Building at the former Royal Children’s Hospital in Herston, made possible through an incredible $3 million raised by Woolworths team members and customers
- Helped establish and support pioneering childhood nutrition research, including the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre and later the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research, investing millions into healthier futures for children
- Provided a $2.5 million grant to the Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory, leading to the development of a world-leading one-hour test for meningococcal disease that transformed how serious infections are diagnosed and treated
- Funded patient entertainment systems throughout Queensland Children’s Hospital, helping make long hospital stays more comfortable for children and families
- Enhanced critical care environments, including the redevelopment of the PICU balcony, to provide a more welcoming and therapeutic space for children and families.
If you would like to make a difference for kids like Ollie, make a donation today.
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Through supporting the Children’s Hospital Foundation, you can improve childhoods and ensure all children and young people have access to treatment - sooner.
