A Very Special Project – $22.5m Capital Campaign
February 20, 2020
We are so excited to officially announce that we are set to rebuild the hospice in February 2021, and today can confirm our capital fundraising campaign to raise the funds needs is underway.
With a big fundraising target of $22.5m to meet by the end of 2020, Very Special Kids Life Governor Andy Penn has been appointed to chair of the hospice rebuild capital fundraising campaign.
“The new hospice will be world-class with state-of-the-art and best practice clinical facilities to better support children of every age, size, nationality and functional capability. It will offer more specialised services for children as well as a semi-private space for adolescents to better respect their maturity and desire for independence. There will also be a dedicated area to allow for greater privacy and space to support a family’s final wishes for their child.”
“The wonderful thing about this project is you will be able to see the difference your donation is making; you will be able to see your investment in the bricks and mortar of a hospice that is completely unique in Australia,” he said.
Very Special Kids’ Chief Executive Officer, Michael Wasley, said the organisation has spent more than two years researching what makes the world’s best hospice.
“If the world was a fairer place, no child would be born with a life-limiting condition. Our families and children are facing some of the greatest challenges in life, but they are strong, resilient and inspirational to us. It’s now time to get it built and deliver our promise of building the world’s best children’s hospice,” he said.
The current hospice is set to be demolished in February 2021 and will be completely rebuilt to ensure it continues to provide the best level of care well into the future.
Very Special Kids secured $7.5m in Federal funding at the end of last year for the rebuild, with $15m needed to complete this critical Victorian community asset.
We would also like to acknowledge the Chain Reaction Challenge Foundation who was the catalyst partner of our hospice rebuild project and over the past three years has not only ensured the project is thoroughly planned and the outcome maximised but has also now contributed almost $1million towards the rebuild.
Life Governors Paula Fox AO and Connie Kimberley have been appointed Patrons of the capital appeal committee. Former Federal Cabinet Minister the Hon. Kelly O’Dwyer, businessmen Glenn Carmody and Neville Azzopardi, Very Special Kids CEO, Michael Wasley, Board Chairman Peter Polson, and Very Special Kids Founder and Patron, Sister Margaret Noone AM IVBM will also serve on the committee.
