Appliances Online staff bring Christmas cheer to Sydney Children’s Hospital
December 16th, 2011
‘Tis the season of goodwill, and in recognition of this, a team from Appliances Online took some festive cheer to the brave young patients at Sydney Children’s Hospital this week.
Loaded up with presents and plenty of artistic flair, about 20 staff visited the hospital in Randwick.
The day was an opportunity for staff to understand the work achieved by the Children’s Hospital Foundation Australia (CHFA), and to put a smile on the faces of youngsters suffering from illness and disability.
Catherine Patmore, NSW Business Development Executive for CHFA, said it was the first time volunteers had come into the hospital to play with the children.
“It’s a great time, and an exciting time in the hospital being Christmas,” she said.
“There are so many children around. It’s a happy time of the year and I think the staff enjoyed themselves.
“We’ve had a great response. We’ve had the groups in painting and drawing with the patients and handing out some presents. It was great to see the smiles on the children faces when they were given a present or asked to sit down and colour in.
“It’s an amazing place and it’s hard to believe it’s a hospital. I think the Appliances Online staff were quite overwhelmed in that respect.”
The partnership between the Children’s Hospital’s Foundation Australia and Appliance Online is part of the retailer’s Extend Your Hand programme, which aims to give financial support to a variety of charity organisations whose common goal is to better the quality of life in Australia and abroad.
Appliances Online donated $11,000 to the charity, which Ms Patmore said will go towards providing new life saving equipment, fund new programmes and pay for research into new treatment methods.
“The funds raised through Appliances Online will be split equally between the five hospitals in Australia to fund their areas of greatest need,” she said.
“The support from Appliances Online will go towards helping treat or care for over one million children across our five children’s hospitals every year.”
CEO of Appliances Online, John Winning, said all the staff were delighted to be part of the day, and the interaction with the children had a profound effect on them.
“It’s quite touching,” he said.
“I think they have liked us being here.
“We were delighted to be able to make a donation, which we hope will make a real difference. We’ve had a pretty good partnership so far.”
Leave a Reply