Thank you to everyone who got involved in Royal Giving Day!

Team Royal has 636,000 reasons to celebrate after the national success of Royal Giving Day, held Wednesday June 23.

With your help, the RBWH Foundation fundraising appeal has raised at least $636,000 for hospital-led research, staff education and patient care initiatives, and has seen an outpouring of gratitude from Australians for the tireless work of RBWH healthcare heroes.

RBWH Foundation CEO Simone Garske said that the RBWH Foundation was so proud to support our incredible hospital.

“It was overwhelming to see how enthusiastically Team Royal joined in on Royal Giving Day, through donations and fundraising,” Simone said.

“I would like to express a huge thanks to everyone who was involved!”

Channel Seven’s breakfast program, Sunrise, kickstarted the day with weather presenter Sam Mac showcasing the best of RBWH to a national audience. On display was the new Running for Premature Babies NeoRESQ Vehicle and Sony You Can Centre where Australian singing sensation Conrad Sewell joined the Stairwell Project in a music workshop with young cancer patients.

Australian celebrity chef and RBWH burns patient Matt Golinski and home-grown ARIA award winners pop band Sheppard lent some celebrity shine to the Royal Giving Day phone room, while RBWH Assistant Physiotherapist and former brain injury patient Reece Crawford stole the show in the hospital’s front foyer.

In 2014, Reece was forced to learn how to walk again after a motor scooter accident. RBWH not only gave Reece back his life, but the hospital also inspired a career change from car salesman to physiotherapy assistant. Reece now uses his passion for running as a platform to fundraise for medical and clinician-led research and the RBWH. For Royal Giving Day, Reece staged ‘Run 21 for the Royal’, an incremental marathon starting with one kilometre on the first day and ending with a half-marathon of 21.1km on Day 21.

Just as entertaining were the off-camera antics of RBWH fundraising teams in a battle for the Royal Giving Day Cup. Competition was fierce and the highlight was undoubtably Cancer Care Service’s tug of war which pitted RBWH departments against other services, including the Queensland Fire Service.

RBWH Foundation is extremely grateful to donors who drove the tally for the day upwards, from those who donated handfuls of coins to others with cheques for thousands of dollars. Each came with a story of gratitude and their stories were priceless. Among them was RBWH mouth cancer patient Reinhard and wife Irene who presented $30,000 to RBWH Head and Neck cancer experts. Reinhard was diagnosed just as COVID-19 hit last year, forcing the couple’s overseas holiday to be cancelled. The money set aside for their holiday was donated to RBWH Foundation instead.

All funds raised will be distributed to RBWH areas of need, including research grants, health worker education and patient friendly initiatives.

Visit the RBWH Foundation website to find out more.