Events
Third Party Events
Woolworths’ history of support for children across Queensland, largely through the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, is well known. Recently, Woolworths undertook a review of their support and found that almost one third of all funds raised come from the Gold Coast. Woolworths then decided to conduct a couple of Regional support programs within the wider areas of Queensland with their Area Manager Region 9, Michael Wiegman, and his 17 Centre Managers from Logan to Broadbeach leading a trial on the Coast.
A team building and community engagement project for the stores the trial involved a raffle and display within each store. Run on a brief three week period during November Region 9 raised $16,000 for the Children’s Wards at GCHSD.
Michael Wiegman, when presenting their cheque to Dr Susan Moloney, Director of Paediatrics, spoke of the enthusiasm of the staff at Woolworths stores and the morale it helps to build particularly when the funds are being put to such important work; in this instance, financial support for ditto™ interactive devices for use within the hospital.
Michael also confirmed Woolworths would like to grow their involvement with Gold Coast Hospital and its new facilities at GCUH.
Dr Moloney in accepting the presentation cheque thanked the Woolworths Team for their enthusiastic support and looked forward to a long and happy association.
So, what is ditto™? Ask any parent and they’ll tell you about the power of distraction or diversion: tactics best employed when a two-year old tantrum is in full swing. A Brisbane-based company, Diversionary Therapy Technologies, has taken diversion theory to a whole new level with wonderfully positive implications for seriously ill children.
Current medical practice around pain management in paediatric patients is focusing more and more on combining medication and distraction techniques. Put very simply, ditto™ uses distraction to take the patient’s mind off the pain they are experiencing. It works on the idea of interaction involving a touch screen, colourful marker keys and response to physical movement. It looks much like a normal gaming console, includes a variety of interactive games, movies, stories and procedural preparation.
The Queensland Muay Thai community joined with Gold Coast Hospital Foundation to raise funds for sick kids who need to stay in Hospital over the holiday period. The fundraiser run by Marcus Burgess of Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai Personal Training has been supported by world Muay Thai champions John Wayne Parr and Nathan Corbett.
Mark Hindle, CEO of Gold Coast Hospital Foundation is delighted with this new partnership with the Muay Thai community.
"The Gold Coast Hospital Foundation was delighted Marcus Burgess of Heart Start Fitness and the Muay Thai community had nominated Gold Coast Hospital Foundation as their charity of choice. Working outside the squares with the Muay Thai group gives us an edge in the community. Our Foundation strives to raise funds that will help improve the health and lifestyles of all living in our area; particularly the young people and children who are our future.
“All funds raised through the Heart Start Fitness Muay Thai program will be directed towards the Gold Coast health activities. As a beneficiary of Muay Thai fundraising and community programs we in turn can help young people of the Gold Coast to enjoy healthy lifestyles and become good citizens.”
Muay Thai gyms from Gold Coast through to Brisbane joined the cause to raise $1,139 from Urban Fight Gym - Miami, Boonchu Gym - Burleigh, Modern Warrior - Slacks Creek, Nuggets Thai Boxing - Willston, First Strike Muay Thai - Petrie and Body Science - Miami.
Having young people involved in healthy activities, learning new life-skills, become interested in their local community while helping to support Gold Coast Hospital’s Children’s Ward is not something we see every day. But that is what is happening at the Paradise Point Sailing Club right here on the Gold Coast.
Club President John Murphy contacted Gold Coast Hospital Foundation’s CEO, Mark Hindle, to suggest there be a partnership where through the Foundation the Hospital’s Children’s Ward would be their Charity of Choice. “Of course we were delighted;” said Mark “involvement with an organisation that teaches young people the importance of community responsibility while providing them with skills for life is something in which we are interested. Clearly these young folk are benefitting and get to see another side of life.”
The Club’s “Try Sailing” program caters for young people from 7 – 18 years and offers a full selection of fun courses and exciting racing for members during the summer months. It is a very popular program under the Club’s accreditation as a Yachting Australia training facility. “We wanted to engage the community as we lift our profile and we have been able to do that with the support of local businesses, schools, our parents and the enthusiastic pushing of State Member for Broadwater Peta-Kay Croft MP” said President John. “Sailing teaches kids responsibility for their actions, safety at all times and the importance of having fun. One day, one of these kids could become a future “John Bertrand” or even more importantly a community leader.”
The Club held its fundraising day on 11 December following which they presented a cheque for $543 to Gold Coast Hospital Foundation.
Past Events
A thank you to our sponsors was held at an intriguing 'Cocktails and Cranes' evening at the new Gold Coast University Hospital site. This served a two-fold purpose of allowing our sponsors to view the extent of the work that has been carried out on this enormous project and to allow the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation to show our appreciation for the support that our sponsors have given to us over the years.
The evening featured the Gold Coast Youth Orchestra playing fun classics and a lighting up of the 7 massive cranes on the building site which is now half way to completion.
It was a wonderful event with buses organised to tour the site to allow people to obtain first-hand knowledge of this massive project. 125 people attended the Cocktail party and interesting speeches from Gold Coast Hospital Foundation Chairman Gary Baildon, Don Glynn Project Manager GCHS, Brian Davenport Executive Director of Capital Insight who manage the project and Peter Ward General Manager (Qld, NT & Pacific) of Bovis Lend Lease who are building the GCUH, completed a very in depth appreciation of this wonderful new asset for the Gold Coast community.
Click here for updates on the new Gold Coast University Hospital
Friday 1, October 2010 - Lakelands Golf Club
A golfer's delight, this annual charity golf day proved to be a winner for all who participated. I am sure, for the players, there is no greater way to assist the community than to be out on the course enjoying a day of fun and sport while supporting their community.
The Foundation is looking forward to this event again in 2011 so keep your diaries open to note the date as soon as it is decided.
Friday, September 24, 2010 - Sheraton Mirage
Each year, the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation hosts the Cloud 9 Luncheon and this event has become one of the most anticipated events on the social calender. This year was no exception with a capacity crowd of beautifully dressed attendees being entertained at the Sheraton Mirage. A fashion parade of new season's outfits from Main Beach boutique '27 on Tedder' was presented and this year's guest speaker, Professor Mark von Itzstein, Executive Director, Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University Gold Coast spoke to a very appreciative audience.
Mark von Itzstein completed his PhD in organic chemistry at Griffith University in 1984, and was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship to carry out research at the University of Marburg in Germany. His internationally renowned career as a carbohydrate chemist began in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Monash University in 1986. In February 2000 Mark returned to Griffith University to establish the Institute for Glycomics. This Institute has, as it’s mission, the task of discovering clinically-useful medicines through intervention of carbohydrate-related disease processes. Mark received the Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis in 2001, which is awarded to a small number of international scientists annually. Then in 2002 Mark was awarded a Federation Fellowship, Australia’s most prestigious research fellowship. He was elected to Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2003, and also received the University of Queensland Gatton Gold Medal in 2005, and the Zimmer International Scholar Award (USA) in 2007.
Mark is one of the leading scientists responsible for the design and synthesis of the anti-influenza drug, Relenza®, which has been approved for the treatment of influenza worldwide. As one of the key players in the drug's development, Mark was awarded the prestigious Australia Prize for Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1996. This discovery is considered to be a significant outcome and flagship in glycotherapeutic drug development in the last century and has further consolidated the world platform of using carbohydrates as drugs and carbohydrate-recognising proteins as drug discovery targets.
Mark has international standing in glycoscience and drug discovery particularly in the area of anti-infective drug discovery. In the light of the most recent pandemic influenza threat, Mark has established a research program that is investigating the discovery of next generation anti-influenza drugs.
The Institute for Glycomics is located on Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus and is expanding to a staff level of approximately 150.
The afternoon was completed with numerous raffle draws to the excitement and delight of the many winners of excellent prizes donated by our ever supportive sponsors.
Saturday, August 21, 2010 - Sheraton Mirage
As the article by Regina King in the Gold Coast Bulletin shows, the 2010 Gift of Life Gala Dinner was once again an outstanding success.
Click here for more photos from the Gift of Life Gala Dinner 2010
