In one night, the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) managed to break the global record for children’s hospital charity galas, raising an outstanding $19.2 million for children with complex and intensive needs.
The glitzy event, held at Sydney Town Hall, included a single record pledge of $5 million, donated by Gina Rinehart’s family on behalf of Hancock Prospecting.
This brings the total amount raised by Gold Dinner over the last 26 years to nearly $60 million, placing it in the ranks of internationally renowned fundraising events such as the Met Gala and others worldwide.
On Thursday night (4 May) more than 400 of the nation’s leading philanthropists and VIPs gathered and raised funds for the Children’s Hospital at Westmead Kids Complex Care Centre, to be known as the Kookaburra Centre.
Children with complex, rare medical conditions, and their families, are expected to benefit from the proposed new centre, which will include a multidisciplinary model of care with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
Now in its 26th year, the Gold Dinner continued with its tradition of secrecy, only revealing the location of the invite-only event at the last minute.
The theme for the event was a modern twist on ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with a gold carpet reminiscent of the iconic “yellow brick road” leading guests into the world of wonder, romance, and magic of Gold Dinner 2023.
Hosted by Australian sports presenter and journalist Tara Rushton and TV host Tristan MacManus, the evening saw the Australia’s leading philanthropists and VIPs, including Cooper Cronk, Claudia Karvan, Kick Gurry, Natalie Morries, Carlos Sanson Jr, Lincoln Younes, Peter Ivany, Jean Dominique, Andrew Banks and Eddie Listorti, enjoy entertainment from Conrad Sewell and special guests.
Attendees also heard from Gold Dinner 2023 committee member and philanthropist Bernadette Nassif, who took the stage to share her personal story accessing care through The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the important role community plays when caring for kids with complex needs.
SCHF raised $76 million last year and has reached a cumulative total of over $500 million since 1986.
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