Rallying for the kids
2 December 2019
Rally for Recovery volunteers celebrating their significant donation milestone Photo: Alex Rea
They say that from little things big things grow, and that certainly applies to Rally for Recovery, who recently celebrated a significant milestone: raising more than $2 million to help kids with cancer.
Since 2001, their generous support of clinical trials and oncology research and care has helped to ensure the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick leads the field.
Over the time Rally for Recovery has been supporting the Kids Cancer Centre, amazing advances have been made in the treatment of childhood cancer and survival rates have improved dramatically. Nevertheless, the cancer journey is long and difficult, so it is a reason to celebrate when children reach the end of treatment – and at the Hospital, that occasion is marked by ringing the Milestone Bell which hangs in the Oncology wards.
The bells are inscribed with the words COURAGE, STRENGTH and HOPE and staff gather around with family and friends to sing a special song written by the Hospital’s Music Therapist, which is called ‘Happy End of Treatment Day’. It’s a moment of pure joy for everyone – and a symbol of optimism for other families who are still on the long journey towards recovery.
Rally for Recovery also ring a bell to signify the end of trade, so the Foundation presented President Ken Sloan with their very own Milestone Bell to mark their fundraising achievements and symbolise the connection they have with the Hospital. Every time they ring it, we hope they will be reminded of the extraordinary gift of hope that they are giving to every sick child across this State.
Mr Sloan also marked the special occasion by presenting an additional $80,000 donation and he took the opportunity to acknowledge their generous sponsors, including Eurobodalla Shire Council, IGA The Moorings, Bakers Delight and Autohaus Batemans Bay.
