THE most recent annual corporate fundraising lunch for children living in a family with mental illness raised a record $82,000.
The money went to the Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation, founded in 2002.
The organisation is the result of work by a police officer who frequented homes where there was mental illness and a Miranda woman, Dianne Madden, whose mother was bipolar.
More than 300 guests were at the fundraiser at Doltone House in Sydney. Communications manager Julie Adams said Kookaburra Kids sends children to camps at places such as Stanwell Tops, Cobbity and Vision Valley to give them respite and allow them to enjoy usual childhood activities as respite from their everyday lives.
Often such children had to take on many responsibilities and sometimes even administered medication to their unwell parent.
When the foundation began it had a respite camp for just 16 children. Now there are more than 1100.
The lunch was supported by Kookaburra Kids' corporate partner Suez Environment, the St George Foundation and the Big Sister Foundation.
Dominic Sullivan, general manager of Kookaburra's new sponsorship partner, Payce, said the sponsorship was strongly aligned with the company's culture. He gave a $50,000 cheque at the function as the first sponsorship contribution of a promised $250,000.
Details: kookaburrakids.org.au or 9525 7474.
