Giving is a gift
IT feels good to give, especially when you know how much it means to the people on the receiving end.
We are so blessed to live in a country that is filled with opportunities and pathways towards achieving the goals we set for ourselves.
We can put so much time and energy into working towards our set targets, but whether they are aspirations for careers, family, health or other personal achievements, all of our hard work can be undone in an instant when disaster strikes.
Our staff at Barwon Health see it every day, with patients in tragic circumstances, injured or rehabilitating after severe trauma.
It often helps these people to set personal goals in their recovery, to aim for a return to their normal self.
Everyday activities like driving a car, swimming in the ocean or playing with your children can go a long way to motivating improvements.
However, younger patients are still growing up and still learning how they fit into the world when they are forced to enter rehabilitation after a traumatic accident, spinal cord injury, stroke or acquired brain injury.
This can be an incredibly difficult time for children and their families, and young people need a friendly environment that caters to their learning habits and unique perspective on improving their health.
This is why our community is working so hard to bring a stateof-the-art children and youth rehabilitation centre to Geelong.
Last weekend was the annual Giving Weekend and I’m so proud of the way our staff participated to raise money for the Barwon Health Foundation.
While their main focus was on fundraising for a children’s rehabilitation centre at the McKellar Centre, the community’s charitable efforts benefit many areas of our organisation in the form of new equipment and improved surroundings; the current redevelopment of the hospital podium is an example of this.
From June 14 to 17, our volunteers took to the streets to shake, rattle and roll fundraising tins at traffic lights, local football and netball matches, or sold merchandise in shopping centres and cooked barbecues at Bunnings and other locations.
More than 220 dedicated volunteers took up the Foundation’s latest cause, braving the freezing cold, wet and windy weather as they have every year since 2009.
As much as volunteering is an individual choice to make a difference, it can do incredible things for team-bonding and community spirit within an organisation; we had many organisations participating this year.
It adds an extra motivation when you know that all money raised will help construct this much-needed rehabilitation centre in North Geelong, changing lives of young people and their families.
This year’s Giving Weekend aimed to raise $100,000 for the $3.6 million project, which launched in August last year.
I am pleased to see we reached $47,179, and every dollar is working towards creating a state-ofthe-art facility for more than 150 local children referred to the Barwon Health Paediatric Rehabilitation Service every year.
But it’s too soon to pat ourselves on the back — we are hard at work already, organising the next major fundraiser.
The Foundation is thrilled to be hosting Geelong’s inaugural black-tie Under The Big Top Charity Ball, which will transform the Federal Mills into a gala ball at North Geelong.
This event will raise another $100,000 for our children’s rehabilitation centre and is sure to be a memorable night for everyone involved.
These are just some examples of our community coming together to enhance services and facilities across Barwon Health.
The Gala Day tradition is a hospital fundraiser all Geelong residents have grown up with, and a walk through any part of University Hospital Geelong is likely to encounter one of our selfless volunteers, who now number over 1000.
Every service and department of Barwon Health has been touched by volunteering, whether it is through people in the community dedicating their time or giving up their hard-earned finances to ensure those in need have the treatment they deserve at the time they need it. Professor Ruth Salom is Barwon Health CEO.