A gift in your Will to brighten the lives of seriously ill children

A message from our CEO An Australian child is admitted to hospital every minute of every day while an increasing number of children spend extended periods recuperating at home. For these children, days become months of fear, isolation and boredom. Imagine the moment Starlight enters their life, lifting their spirits and encouraging them to forget their illness. Picture the joy on a parent’s face when they see their child smile again. My vision is that one day we will be able to support every single seriously ill child. And my hope is that you will include a gift to Starlight in your Will, so that we can bring happiness, joy and laughter to children’s lives for generations to come.

Louise Baxter, CEO

Captain Starlight and Emily making a mess with glitter in the Staright Express Room

A gift in your Will to brighten the lives of sick kids Seriously ill children experience an adult world filled with pain, stress and fear. At Starlight, a child is more than their illness and play is a powerful force essential to their wellbeing. Since 1988, the Starlight Children’s Foundation has partnered with Australian health professionals to develop unique programs that support the ‘total care’ of children and teenagers, whatever their illness, injury or disability, both in hospitals and the wider community. For over 25 years we have brightened the lives of hundreds of thousands of Australia’s seriously ill children and their families by turning pain and fear into joy and laughter. It’s only because of the generosity of supporters like you that we can continue to help children forget their illness and re‑discover their childhood.

Emily always manages to forget her pain and anxiety around hospital when she enters the Starlight Express Room. It’s a great reward for everything else she deals with.” —Karen, Emily’s mum

Judy’s story A proud supporter of Starlight for over seven years, Judy volunteers her professional skills for Starlight and also makes regular donations. Determined to make a difference to future generations of Starlight children, Judy has decided to leave a gift to Starlight in her Will.

No matter how many diseases we find cures for, there will always be sick children and there will always be families who are suffering along with their children. They need Starlight. I really do believe that children are our future and I think it’s important to invest in them. I can support Starlight now with my donations and time, but I would also like to continue to contribute after I am gone. That’s why I have chosen to leave a gift to Starlight in my Will. I don’t think there’ll ever be a time when there’s not a sick child somewhere who needs some joy in their life.” —Judy, who is leaving a gift in her Will for Starlight.

Arts & crafts with Captain Starlight

Shine on into the future Make a meaningful contribution By including a gift to Starlight in your Will, you can help ensure that we will always be there for seriously ill children and their families, providing smiles, joy and laughter at a time when they need it most. No matter the size of your gift, it will help us whisk away the loneliness and fear that comes with living with a serious illness.

Maximising the impact of your donation At Starlight, your donated dollar really has a BIG impact. An independent report by PwC* in 2014 confirmed for every $1 we invest in our unique in‑hospital programs, $4.10 is returned in value to the community, which means your donation has an even greater impact! At Starlight we’re proud of this, but this is just the base from which we want to grow for the future. *PwC research has shown Starlight’s in hospital programs delivers a social return on investment ratio of 4.1:1

How to leave a gift in your Will There are three types of gifts you can choose from: A residuary bequest – after taking care of friends and family, you can leave all or a percentage of the remainder of your estate to Starlight. A percentage of your estate – leave a nominated portion or fixed percentage of your estate to Starlight. This will remain inflation-proof and you’ll be less likely to need to update your Will in the future. A specific bequest – leave a specific sum of money or a specified item, such as artwork, jewellery, property, antiques or shares.

Adding a gift to your Will If you already have a Will and would like to add a gift to Starlight, speak to your solicitor about adding a codicil – a short legal amendment. We have prepared some wording for your solicitor to use to include a gift to Starlight in your Will:

I bequest to Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia (ABN: 80 931 522 157) for its general purpose the sum of $ . . . . . . . . . . . (or portion of or residue of estate or description of property) and I declare that the receipt of the treasurer or other proper officer shall be sufficient discharge of my Trustee.

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Game time with Captain Starlight

What to do next Our Supporter Engagement Team is here to answer any questions you may have about the most effective way to support seriously ill children. We understand you may want to support a specific area of our work or may have a clear idea about what you would like your gift to achieve. Discuss your ideas and wishes with us and we’ll make every effort to fulfill them. If you’re thinking of including Starlight in your Will, we’d love to hear from you as it will help us plan for the future. We treat all information with the strictest confidence. Your gift will help us continue to support seriously ill children well into the future.

Choose to shine on. Call 1300 727 827 or visit starlight.org.au PO Box 101 St Leonards NSW 1590