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Stepping up to the treadmill for 24-hour care
May 31, 2024
On Friday 24 to Saturday 25 May, our very special community stepped up to the treadmills to take on 24 hours of non-stop motion!
The 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge, saw more than 800 participants keep 29 NovoFit treadmills running for 24 hours, finishing with a celebratory confetti canon explosion – and some very sore feet and muscles!
Thank you to our wonderful community for participating in and supporting this vibrant event. Together we raised more than a sweat, fundraising over $650,000 for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses, and their families.
Very Special Kids Acting Chief Executive Officer Donna Durston-McKenna thanked challenge participants and supporters for their amazing generosity and commitment.
“Congratulations to all the 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge participants and everyone who has donated. Every step taken and every dollar raised over the past 24 hours counts for a seriously sick child.”
A big thank you to 3AW’s Jimmy Bartel (pictured) who took on his own challenge in studio, virtually riding from Geelong to Mildura and raising over $35,000.
Read more about Jimmy’s ride here.
Cara Lukav was another who participated for the fourth year. The nine-year-old, whose mum is a palliative care nurse at Very Special Kids, set a fundraising goal of $4,000 before the event and had already surpassed the target before her first step on the treadmill.
Cara finished as one of the event’s top fundraisers, raising more than $6,000.
See photos from the event here
We’d also like to acknowledge our event sponsors, 3AW, NovoFit, Genesis and Harry the Hirer. The 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge would not have been possible without the support of many other participating organisations, in-kind supporters, MCs and entertainment.
Our volunteers also put in invaluable time and effort to bring this amazing event to life. Special mention goes to our volunteer award winner, Nathan Maddison, who went above and beyond to keep the treadmills in motion in the early morning!
Please also put a hand together for our top fundraisers:
Individual awards
Highest fundraising individual – Glenn Carmody
2nd highest fundraising individual – Belinda Muir
3rd highest fundraising individual – Matt Honey
Highest fundraising individual (under 18 years old) – Cara Lukav
Team awards
Highest fundraising team – ALH Hotels
2nd highest fundraising team – EY Melbourne
3rd highest fundraising team – Hey Hey, It’s VSK
Special mention also goes to Kristy Whitnell from Team Supersonic Jett for best dressed, and the team spirit award winner Icon Group.
Donations to the 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge remain open until June 30.
Visit vsktreadmill.org.au
Cara takes on the 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge
May 14, 2024
Nine-year-old Cara is stepping up to her fifth 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge and is already climbing up this year’s fundraiser leaderboard!
We were very lucky to have an exclusive interview with Cara, where she spilled some of her top treadmill tips with us:
Why did you choose to first participate in the 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge?
“Because my mummy works in the hospice.”
What do you love most about event day?
“I like playing the games and seeing everyone.”
Why is supporting Very Special Kids so important to you?
“So I can help the sick kids.”
What tips do you have for anyone participating for the first time?
“Practice on a treadmill first so you don’t fall off.”
What’s your best fundraising tips?
“Try to ask as many people as you can to raise more money for the sick kids.”
Big thank you to Cara for letting us share her reasons for joining the challenge year after year and for some wise tips for those taking part in the event for the first time.
Every donation helps our dedicated fundraisers, like Cara, raise more than a sweat for the seriously ill kids in our care.
You can help them reach their goal by donating at vsktreadmill.org.au.
A Very Special Ladies Lunch
March 22, 2024
On Friday 15 March, we served up A Very Special Ladies Lunch, raising a record-breaking $124,000 for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
Guests indulged in beautiful views of the Yarra River at our new venue, Leonda by the Yarra, and had an exciting chance to win a 1ct pink Sapphire, to be set to custom piece, courtesy of Melbourne jeweller Tallulah.
Our MC Heidy Murphy, entertainers Miss Dee and Justin Hall and auctioneer Phil de Fegely kept the energy high, while our many in-kind supporters including Cupcake Queens, CM Liquor and so many others ensured the table prizes and auction items were in high demand.
A special thank you goes to our presenting partner Lowe Living for helping make the day possible and very special mum Mel, who generously shared her connection to Very Special Kids.
Mel is a mum to four children including 12-year-old, Wil, who has a CBL gene mutation and presents similarly to Noonan syndrome. And Elle, who had hypoplastic left heart syndrome and sadly died at 13 days old. Mel shared:
Very Special Kids have helped take me from the dark wardrobe, wanting to be swallowed by the world, to owning my grief.
I was so pleased to be asked to come today…to be able to be here today and to thank all of you for supporting Very Special Kids and in turn, supporting my family, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing and supporting such an incredible place to operate.
You can watch more of Mel’s family story and others in the documentary, Live The Life You Please, here.
In 2025, A Very Special Ladies Lunch is set to be even bigger and better. If you missed out and would like to be notified about next year’s event, please email events@vsk.org.au.
Meet Jenny, a Very Special Guardian
February 19, 2024
Jenny has been part of our very special community for decades.
As one of our visiting hospital volunteers, Jenny visits Very Special Kids families at The Royal Children’s Hospital, spending time with the children and supporting their families.
In 2014, Jenny won the City of Stonnington’s Citizen of the Year Award and in 2023, celebrated an incredible 25 years of volunteering with Very Special Kids, both in the hospital and at fundraising events.
Passionate supporters of Very Special Kids, Jenny and her husband, John, are also proud Very Special Guardians. Jenny shared,
“My husband and I sat down one evening to discuss whether we should add Very Special Kids to our Wills; we both quickly realised that it was basically a no-brainer.”
“We’ve been very blessed with a house, two lovely children, our gorgeous grandchildren. We feel so fortunate, especially with our health. And the children at the hospice; they weren’t born with their health. But with a gift in our Wills, we knew for a fact that we could make their lives so much better, because I’ve seen the evidence for myself for over 25 years.”
So that’s why we became Very Special Guardians. And to those of you who are wondering whether to join us, I would say this: The staff are wonderful, the cause is beyond important, and the difference you’ll make for children and their families is clear to see.
To learn more about joining Jenny as a Very Special Guardian, please contact our Gift in Wills coordinator on 1800 888 875 or at bequest@vsk.org.au.
Josiah’s story
December 8, 2023
When you hear Josiah’s cheerful giggle, you can’t help but smile. He is one of the most joyful little boys you could ever meet.
But Josiah entered the world fighting for his life. Josiah was born with a hole in his heart and a life-limiting condition.
For his mum Ruth and his dad Travis, every single day has come with desperate hope for their son’s survival.
Now four years old, Josiah’s neurometabolic condition affects him every day and night. He has difficulty breathing and is susceptible to respiratory illnesses with multiple cases of serious pneumonia. His vision is significantly impaired, and he has low muscle tone that can make it impossible to do simple things like sit on his own.
To this day, there is no treatment for Josiah’s condition. Not even a reference point.
But things became a little easier from the moment him and his family connected with Very Special Kids.
At 13 months old, Josiah came for his first overnight stay in Very Special Kids children’s hospice. It was the first time Ruth and Travis felt they could leave him somewhere — with the peace of mind that he was well cared for.
Nobody truly gets the mental load and the stress that comes with having to make the right decisions for a child like Josiah.
To have Josiah monitored by people who can dedicate the time and who care enough to do it too, that is everything to me. I trust Very Special Kids more than anyone with him.
If you can give a gift this Christmas, it will help to support families like Josiah’s with everything from hospice respite care to counselling.
“For us, Christmas is about hope. It’s a time of gratitude. Josiah is a gift. He may have a lot of complexities but, looking back to when he was born, it’s a miracle to see him get to where he’s at now.”
Please send your kind Christmas gift as soon as you can to help fund vital respite through our children’s hospice over the Christmas period.
Click here to donate today!
Today is a very special day!
November 14, 2023
For 24-hours only, all donations will be doubled to help keep the doors to Very Special Kids House open to children and young people with life-limiting conditions, 24/7.
For the children and families we support, if they can’t turn to us they would have nowhere else to go. We must always be by their side; providing the vital respite and care they desperately need.
Please join us on Tuesday 21 November! You can:
- Help spread the word. Share our communications with your networks – friends, family, neighbours, members of your community groups.
- Help fundraise by setting up a fundraising page. Gather some very special people and find a fun way to fundraise ahead of the day, knowing all your contributions will be doubled. You can sign up and create a fundraising page here.
- Donate on A Very Special Day. Have your impact doubled on the day! Donate here.
A fiery Footy Fever Debate
August 17, 2023
On Friday 11 August, we held our annual Footy Fever Debate!
There were no-holds barred as our two teams tackled our contentious debate topic: AFL rule changes have improved the game.
At the start of the lunch, not a single hand was raised in favour of this statement, but our persuasive panellists managed to flip the audience’s opinion! Congratulations to Matthew Richardson and Matt Granland for their exceptional debating skills and thank you to Rohan Connolly and Shane McInnes for putting up a valiant fight.
In addition to spectating a fabulous debate, our generous audience helped us raise more than $190,000, helping us to continue providing the best quality of life to children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and tailored support for their families across Victoria.
We were thrilled to receive pledges for 37 nights of respite care, ensuring seriously ill children can continue to receive round-the-clock care at Victoria’s only children’s hospice, Very Special Kids House.
A big thank you to our MC Heidi Murphy for hosting a great afternoon, and our musicians Russell Robertson and Phil Ceberano for keeping everyone entertained throughout the afternoon.
We would also like to extend a special thank you to Andrew and Claire, who generously shared their story and journey with Very Special Kids. Their daughters Emily (6) and Olivia (4), pictured below, both have high complex care needs and are supported by Very Special Kids.
Speaking on stage Claire shared, “Very Special Kids is the respite, that round-the-clock care that other services aren’t able to provide… It can be quite a lonely journey, having children with life-limiting conditions, so the opportunity for not only the respite, but family support workers, counselling, as well as camps like Lord Somers Camp that we can meet other families and have some fun is amazing.”
Andrew added: “There’s just that element that if something happens to us, we have that back-up, which is incredible. It gives you a great sense of comfort… which is just amazing, and we can’t get that anywhere else. Just a massive help.”
Special thanks to our presenting partners 3AW and Lowe Living, supporting sponsors Crown, Lion, Vino Society and Helping Hand Group and all in kind supporters. Without your support, the Footy Fever Debate wouldn’t have been possible.
Thank you to everyone involved for a great afternoon. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
