On Friday, October 23, some of Western Australia’s most recognisable landmarks will turn red in support of children living with disability, illness and disadvantage.
The launch of Variety WA’s Light Up WA campaign will stretch from Perth to Albany, Geraldton and Port Hedland, creating a highly visible statement across the state. Yet behind the scale and spectacle of the new campaign is a much smaller and more personal story one involving a child and a box of toy soldiers.
Earlier that day, Variety WA will hold its Toy Bank Lunch, marking the continuation of a program that has supported children arriving at refuges and crisis accommodation services for more than 30 years.
Together, the events represent two sides of contemporary philanthropy. One is built on direct, practical support provided quietly to individual children. The other seeks to capture public attention, encourage wider participation and place the needs of vulnerable children firmly in the community’s line of sight.
It is also an example of how charities are adapting to an increasingly competitive funding environment.
With businesses and donors facing growing demands for support, charities can no longer rely solely on traditional fundraising events. They must find ways to demonstrate their relevance, make their impact visible and create opportunities for the broader community to participate.
Variety WA is attempting to do that without losing sight of the personal experiences on which its work was founded.
Toy Bank began in 1994 after the charity received a request for toys for children arriving at domestic violence shelters with few, if any, possessions.
The late Holly Wood, who led the program from its earliest days, understood what such a loss could mean to a child. Having spent time in foster care, Holly grew up with very little that was truly his own.
Among the possessions he valued was a small box of toy soldiers. When the box was taken from him and never returned, the experience stayed with him.
That memory became the foundation of Toy Bank and its belief that a toy is not simply an item handed to a child. In the aftermath of family violence, displacement or crisis, it can offer a sense of ownership and stability when almost everything familiar has disappeared.
The program now supplies new toys to more than 40 refuges and crisis services across Western Australia each year, including organisations in regional and remote communities.
Every donated toy must be new and unwrapped. It is an important distinction because the intention is not simply to redistribute unwanted belongings, but to give each child something that feels as though it was selected for them.
Variety WA chief executive Chris Chatterton said the significance of the gesture extended beyond the monetary value of the gift.
“A toy will never undo what a child has experienced, but it can offer comfort, familiarity and a sense of dignity at a time when almost everything familiar may have been left behind,” he said.
“For a child arriving at a refuge or crisis accommodation service, a new toy is not just a gift. It is something that belongs to them. Something that says they have not been forgotten.”
Guests attending this year’s Toy Bank Lunch at The Kingsman on Riverside Drive will be asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy valued at $20 or more. A partnership with Toyworld Claremont will also allow attendees to purchase a toy through a donation option.
While the concept is simple, the context in which the toys are distributed is not.
Family and domestic violence remains one of Western Australia’s most significant social challenges, placing considerable pressure on crisis accommodation, community services and the organisations supporting women and children leaving unsafe homes.
The needs facing these families are complex, ranging from secure housing and financial assistance to counselling, education and healthcare. A toy cannot address those structural challenges. What it can do is provide a child with an immediate and tangible source of comfort during a period of instability.
That distinction is important. Effective philanthropy is not always measured by the size of the intervention. Sometimes its value lies in recognising a specific human need that larger systems overlook.
The Toy Bank Lunch will be followed by the launch of Light Up WA, signaling a deliberate shift from private acts of support to public visibility.
Landmarks including the Bell Tower, Council House, East Perth Power Station, Elizabeth Quay, Fremantle Prison, Kings Park, Matagarup Bridge, Optus Stadium and Yagan Square will be illuminated red.
Regional Western Australia will also be represented through Albany’s CBD precinct lights, Queens Park Theatre in Geraldton and the Great Northern Highway Port Hedland Interchange Bridge, with further locations expected to be announced.
The campaign will begin with a sundowner at The Kingsman, before participants set out on the Light Up WA Challenge. Using an app, participants will travel between landmarks, scan QR codes and access stories about WA children and families, as well as information about Variety WA’s programs.
The format reflects a broader change in community fundraising. Donors increasingly want to understand the impact of their support and engage directly with the cause, rather than simply attend an event or write a cheque.
Light Up WA is designed to turn awareness into participation by making the campaign accessible beyond the walls of a function venue.
“When landmarks across Western Australia light up red, it sends a powerful message to children and families doing it tough: you are seen, you are supported and you are not alone,” Mr Chatterton said.
“Light Up WA is about awareness, but it is also about action.”
For Western Australia’s business and philanthropic community, the day presents a broader question about the role of corporate citizenship.
Charities play a critical role in filling gaps that government services and mainstream systems cannot always meet. Variety WA provides practical grants, mobility equipment, scholarships, inclusive programs and community support for children and families, positively impacting more than 15,000 children in the 12 months to June 2025.
Delivering that assistance requires more than goodwill. It depends on sustainable funding, long-term partnerships and businesses prepared to contribute their resources, networks and influence.
Corporate support is most effective when it moves beyond short-term branding opportunities and becomes part of a genuine commitment to the communities in which businesses operate.
The two events on October 23 capture that challenge neatly.
Toy Bank demonstrates the value of targeted assistance delivered at a child’s most vulnerable moment. Light Up WA recognises that charities also need visibility, public participation and strong corporate partnerships if they are to sustain and expand their impact.
One began with the memory of a child losing a treasured box of toy soldiers. The other will illuminate some of Western Australia’s largest buildings and public spaces.
The scale may be different, but the message is the same: small acts of practical support can carry significant meaning, and the responsibility for helping vulnerable children belongs to the wider community.
By Hearts and Minds
