On Friday, I had the privilege of being invited to tour the Monash Children's Hospital, with a particular focus on their Paediatric Cancer Ward, alongside Leanne Byron. Leanne’s DG Partner project is working to raise critical funds for the Monash Children's Cancer Centre, with the goal of raising $100,000 to fund the training of an in-house Apheresis Clinical Nurse Consultant. This specialist role will enable the hospital to provide life-saving treatments that are vital for young cancer patients.
During the tour, we were guided through this amazing facility, which is nothing short of extraordinary. From the state-of-the-art imaging area to the specialist wards, movie theatre, outdoor physiotherapy space, and the Paediatric Cancer outpatient and inpatient wards, it was clear that Monash Children’s Hospital goes above and beyond to ensure the best care and comfort for its young patients and their families.
The hospital already boasts the necessary equipment, facilities, and medical expertise to provide Apheresis Therapy to young patients. However, it’s the addition of an in-house Apheresis Clinical Nurse Consultant that will truly unlock the full potential of the program. This therapy is an essential part of personalised precision medicine, which represents the future of cancer treatment. The good news is that this future isn’t far away – and providing this specialised nursing role now will ensure that Monash Children's Hospital is well-equipped to offer cutting-edge care for years to come.
**Our Club’s Recent Activities: A Year of Giving and Community Engagement**
It’s been an exciting and busy time for our Club, and I want to take a moment to highlight some of the fantastic initiatives and projects we’ve been involved in lately. The energy and enthusiasm from our members has been incredible, and I’m so grateful for everyone’s hard work and dedication. A busy Club is a thriving Club, and the positive atmosphere we’re experiencing right now is a testament to the teamwork and spirit we share.
- **Boronia K-12 College Fete & Interact Club**: We were excited to support Boronia K-12 College’s annual fete and have initiated the process of chartering an **Interact Club** at the school. This is a great step in engaging young people and fostering leadership and community service in the next generation. We’re also looking ahead to a **Wheelchair-a-thon** in the new year.
- **Youth Skills Shed**: This initiative continues to generate a lot of positive buzz, with many of our members volunteering their time and skills each week. It’s amazing to see the impact we’re having as a team, and we’re excited to keep growing this project in the future.
- **Sewing Bee for Backpacks for Vic Kids**: Our recent Sewing Bee was a huge success! We created Santa sacks and bucket hats, which will go toward filling backpacks for children in need. This hands-on project really showcased our members and friends creativity and commitment to making a difference.
- **Christmas Packing Service Project**: The collection of items for our Christmas packing service has been incredibly successful. We’re looking forward to delivering our contributions to Infolink and Tamminya House in the coming weeks—what a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer to those in need. Thank you to everyone for your contributions.
- **Gift Wrapping at Westfield Knox. Our annual gift-wrapping service at Westfield Knox has provided us with great visibility and the opportunity to connect with the wider community. It’s a fun day and looking forward to it. This will take place on December 15th.
- **RYDA Program**: On Tuesday, December 3rd, we’ll be participating in the **RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness) program** with Boronia K-12 College. We have a group of 4 of us who will help out on the day. We also subsidised some of the cost for the students to participate. This program is vital in promoting road safety and responsible driving among young people, and we’re thrilled to be involved.
- **Days for Girls**: We’ve continued our support of the Days for Girls initiative by volunteering to thread ribbon through bags that will be filled with sanitary products for young girls in need. We’re also looking forward to hosting a **Bunnings BBQ** in collaboration with Days for Girls.
- **Trivia Night**: Our Trivia Night on November 23rd was an outstanding success, raising a nett profit of $7,200! These funds will go toward sponsoring a Sky Hydrant and supporting our Community Group project, with the balance contributing to another Sky Hydrant. A huge thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event such a success!
-* Knox Rocks** - Recoding of the songs has been done and students will be gathering on Monday to listen to the end result. We look forward to an event in the New Year to celebrate the success of the participants.
-*Knox Infolink** - We continue to provide volunteers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for the Breakfast Program. I volunteer on Monday mornings and find this a very rewarding experience.
-*Community Garden** - The garden continues to flourish, with produce grown given to the Infolink Breakfast Program. A group of very dedicated volunteers tend to the garden on a regular basis, and should be highly commended.
-*Xmas Night at Bunnings** – We are lucky enough to be asked once again to serve sausages at the Bayswater Bunnings Xmas night.
-*Bunnings BBQ** - On December 8th, we will be at Bunnings Bayswater, cooking the best sausages in town!
A special shout-out to our newest member, Beth Pardoe, for her incredibly generous donation of books and dolls to Backpacks for Vic Kids. Your kindness will certainly bring joy to many children in need. Thank you, Beth, for your thoughtful contribution!
As you can see, there’s so much going on in our Club, and it’s all thanks to the dedication and hard work of our members. Let’s keep this momentum going as we approach the end of the year and continue to make a positive impact in our community. I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished together, and I’m excited for all that’s yet to come!
Thank you once again for your unwavering support and commitment to these important causes. Together, we are making a difference.
