Charities are a key piece in the wider community and play a critical role in our economy, providing vital services right across the community – and fill in gaps that are missing.
The charity sector is economically important – remaining one of the most significant employers in Western Australia – and serves and supports hundreds of thousands of people, some of whom are the most vulnerable in our community.
Governments have relied on charities to provide services on their behalf to relieve housing pressures, homelessness, food insecurity, healthcare and community wellbeing, and inadequate income support payments.
Transforming children’s healthcare
Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation (PCHF) plays a central role in advancing children’s healthcare in WA. The Foundation’s origins can be traced back to the late 1890s when the movement to establish a children’s hospital began. Back then, children’s hospitals in Australia were private, charitable institutions with virtually no government funding.
Fundraising has always been a part of the hospital’s storied history as the Children’s Hospital (which opened in 1909), Princess Margaret Hospital and now, as the Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH).
In 1998, the Foundation as it’s known today was established as the official fundraising body for the hospital and statewide Child and Adolescent Health Service. Over the decades, WA’s spirit of generosity has enabled PCHF to provide support over and above that of Government to improve and change the lives of sick children and their families.
Since modern records began, PCHF has provided more than $108 million in grants to PCH including $7.19 million in the 2023/2024 financial year. PCHF CEO, Carrick Robinson, said the generosity of WA donors and supporters has made an incredible impact, saving and changing countless young lives.
“We support some of the most vulnerable children in WA and the compassion and generosity of our community has ensured sick kids have to access life-changing treatments and programs that otherwise would not be available,” Mr Robinson explained.
“Much of what we fund are ‘world firsts’, be it research programs or cutting-edge treatments and equipment, so the impact is felt not just by sick kids in WA but children right around the world,” Mr Robinson added.
Generous donor support allows PCHF to fund the most advanced equipment and technology, ground-breaking research, some of the world’s best medical minds, innovative education and training and positive patient experiences, so that WA’s sickest kids receive world-class care and treatment options.
Over the 23/24 financial year, PCHF funded $1,093,391 in the most advanced equipment and technology, $3,201,038 in ground-breaking research, $621,929 in innovative education and training programs, $1,825,300 in highly trained Australian and international clinicians and $444,754 in positive patient and family experiences.
“Because we collaborate closely with PCH clinicians, researchers and families to understand the unique needs within the medical landscape, we ensure every donation is optimised to make the greatest impact,” Mr Robinson said.
Beyond the hospital, PCHF makes a valuable contribution to the wider community by supporting healthcare services stretching across WA including Aboriginal health, mental health and other child development services and programs to help children live their healthiest and happiest lives.
Major projects spearheaded by PCHF have also become iconic Perth landmarks including The Kids’ Bridge linking the hospital to the tranquillity of Kings Park, the serene Waalbiirniny Waabiny Boodja nature space next door to PCH and WA’s first children’s hospice, Sandcastles, currently under construction in Swanbourne.
“PCHF is proud to have played a key role in advancing children’s healthcare and we’re honoured to have grown into one of WA’s largest and most trusted charitable organisations in doing so. Together with our supporters, we’re creating healthier, happier futures for children here and around the globe,” Mr Robinson said.
If you would like to be part of this meaningful change, contact Perth Childrens Hospital Foundation.
By Hearts and Minds
