Monthly Archives: July 2016

Fiery footy debate helps children’s charity

A contingent of high-profile football personalities is set to engage in a humorous and potentially fiery debate about whether Footballers are smarter than journalists.

The Very Special Kids Footy Fever Debate hits the MCC Members Dining Room from 7am on Thursday 1 September to raise over $200,000 to help care for children with life-threatening conditions. The debate kicks off the AFL Finals Series with a morning of entertainment and conversation.

The Footy Fever Debate is the signature event of the Very Special Kids Piggy Bank Appeal, which aims to raise over $1 million during September to care for children with life-threatening conditions.

Find out how to book your ticket

Seeing into the sea

Children staying at Very Special Kids Hospice in the July school holidays dived into ocean life with amazing excursions, incursions and craft activities.

A highlight of the holidays was a visit to Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, where the children were able to get up close and personal with ocean animals such as sharks, stingrays, turtles, and the crowd favourite, cute penguins.

Marine life also came to the hospice, with an incursion allowing the kids to see and touch different types of fish, star fish, sea horses and even an octopus.

Painting was a popular activity as the children explored their creativity with Svetlana from The Art Cabriolet. Our music therapist Amy led a chorus of voices in singalongs to ocean songs.

Operated four times each year by Very Special Kids Hospice, the School Holiday Program ensures that children with life-threatening conditions have access to activities and outings in a safe and controlled environment.

Giant Piggy Banks roll into town

Five giant piggy banks, each stretching to three metres in height and weighing in at 700 kilograms, are travelling around Victoria during September to raise money for children with life-threatening conditions.

The annual Very Special Kids Piggy Bank Appeal kicks off at Bourke Street Mall on Wednesday 31 August with piggy acrobats, a giant piggy bank, and volunteers collecting donations.

Following Bourke Street Mall, five giant piggy banks, named Princess, Patrick, Penelope, Pete and Pepi, will make their way to stops across Victoria including Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Morwell and Echuca to raise funds for the children’s charity.

Very Special Kids supports more than 900 Victorian families that are caring for children with life-threatening conditions. Its services can be accessed from a child’s diagnosis through to recovery or bereavement, and include Victoria’s only children’s hospice, Very Special Kids House. This year’s Piggy Bank Appeal aims to raise more than $1 million to enable the charity to continue operating its services.

Visit the Piggy Bank Appeal website

Special pampering for parents

Massages and facials provided immediate indulgence for eight very special mums from the Pakenham area.

Student beauty therapists from the Chisholm’s Berwick campus pampered the group of mums, whose caring roles were temporarily suspended for some much needed reprieve.

The dreamy looks on their faces told the story of how much it was appreciated – with one mum saying that she “felt like she was floating on air.”

Pamper Days are one of the peer activities offered by the Family Support Team, which bring parents together to enjoy each other’s company and share common experiences.