Keysborough students raised more than $5000 for the Monash Children’s Hospital.
To raise the cash, Haileybury’s Early Learning Centre (ELC) donated gold coins when attending events and created artworks that were auctioned to parents.
The 88 students, aged three to five years, also created a large canvas that they gifted to the hospital.
Monash Children’s Hospital’s head of paediatrics Dr Cathy McAdams visited the children on Wednesday 23 November to accept the cheque and art canvas.
Next year the hospital will move into a new, dedicated site in Clayton so the $5047.95 donation was much-appreciated.
Haileybury’s head of early learning Lisa Christopher said the school was exceptionally proud of the children and their families’ interest, commitment and support to the fund-raising project.
“We chose Monash Children’s Hospital as one of the children in pre-prep has a sister who attended the hospital last year for treatment for cancer,” she said.
“The children have asked questions, offered ideas and worked diligently on their artwork in support of the ELC fundraising effort.
“They displayed empathy and compassion as they considered the lives of young children who suffered illness requiring hospitalisation.”
Haileybury’s social justice program starts with the youngest members of the school community to help them grow up with a commitment to programs that support social justice within their wider community.
The main Monash Children’s Hospital site is at Monash Medical Centre in Clayton, but there are also satellite sites at Dandenong Hospital and Casey Hospital in Berwick.
Monash Children’s Hospital provides more than 30 specialist services and programs for more than 100,000 sick children every year.
It has the state’s largest neonatal intensive care unit.
The new 230-bed hospital, due to open early next year, will be the only hospital in Victoria to provide foetal surgery and thalassemia treatment.
