Thanks to your generous support of last year’s Christmas Appeal, families like these were able to experience the joy and hope of Christmas.
Seven-year-old Marcus* had one simple wish last Christmas—a bike to ride to school so he wouldn’t have to walk the long 3.5 kilometres each day.
For this young person, working toward his fitness goals and building independence, it seemed like an impossible dream. But because of your generosity, Marcus didn’t just get a bike for Christmas. He got a helmet, a water bottle, and headphones too. Now he rides to work, to TAFE, to school—and sometimes just for the pure joy of it.
In Cairns, a mother who opens her home to not just her own six children but to hungry neighbourhood kids who have nowhere else to go, was able to put a Christmas ham on the table—something she said she could never normally afford.
Perhaps most touching was Sarah*, a young mum who had her house broken into just before Christmas. Thieves took the presents she’d been saving for all year, along with most of her food. She was devastated—until her support team arrived with not one but two gift vouchers.
“She nearly gave me a hug,” our team shared, “ Her whole face lit up and she got teary-eyed. She said it meant they would actually have proper Christmas food this year.”
Your kindness didn’t just provide presents and food. It gave a 16-year-old the dignity of independence.
It let children in care feel truly cared for. It helped a struggling mum believe that humanity is good, even when she’d seen the worst of it
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
