Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids is proud to have contributed more than $22 million to the Good Friday Appeal since 2006.
We invite you to support this fabulous cause again in 2025, just like Team Ayva and Jorja (pictured above).
Simply register to participate in Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids, and tick "YES" to creating your own personal online fundraising page, and you’ll be off and running on your 2025 fundraising adventure.
Fundraise at least $50 and share your fundraising story via your official Herald Sun/Transurban Run for the Kids fundraising page, and you could drive away in a BRAND NEW 7-SEAT MAZDA CX-80 G40E PURE MILD HYBRID*
Mazda Promotion open to Victorian residents only. Promotion closes at 11.59pm (AEDST) on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. Prize drawn at 4pm (AEDST) on Friday, April 4, 2025 at HWT Tower, 40 City Rd, Southbank, VIC.
Full terms and conditions at runforthekids.com.au
The Good Friday Appeal
Since 1931 the Good Friday Appeal has been raising money to enable The Royal Children’s Hospital to continue to give children their brightest futures.
$468M has been raised in the Good Friday Appeal 93 year history, funding groundbreaking research, cutting edge technology and equipment, attracting and retaining the brightest minds through education, and providing patient family centred care.
The Good Friday Appeal Impacts
- Research – supporting cutting edge research such as Gene Therapy, aiming to shorten time of evaluation in paediatric epilepsy services.
- Equipment and Technology – driving tech nological excellence: for example, Mr PET technology, an advanced imaging tool for early disease management and detection.
- Education and Training such as supporting simulation based education programs to practice important skills.
- Patient and Family Centred care – helping fund programs like Child Life Therapy which has reduced the incidence of general anaesthetic supported MRI’s to kids over 5 years of age.
- Providing funding to six regional health services via the RCH helping to keep sick children closer to home and build capability in the regions
The Royal Children’s Hospital
Victoria’s The Royal Children’s Hospital is committed to helping kids live their best possible lives and reach their potential:
Recent projects funded by Run for the Kids
Vascular Access Specialist Team
Around half of all children admitted to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) will benefit from a new service aiming to improve their experience of having a drip or catheter inserted.
Thanks to the generosity of Run for the Kids and the Good Friday Appeal (GFA), children receiving care at the RCH will be supported by a team of highly skilled nurses, specialised in the insertion of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs).
PIVCs, more commonly known as cannulas or drips, are used to deliver lifesaving medications and fluids to patients across the RCH. Having a canula inserted can be distressing and leave children and families with bad memories of their time in hospital. This can then go on to impact their future experiences of health care.
The Vascular Access Specialist Team (VAST) will work closely with patients, families, and clinical teams to improve this experience, enhance staff education, and create a patient-centred approach to inserting PIVCs.
TOTAL Therapy Study XVII
Newly diagnosed patients with paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma have been able to access the latest in personalised medicine through a trial.
Known as the TOTAL Therapy Study XVII or TOTAL 17, the trial is an international collaboration led by St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in America.
Once enrolled, the patient’s blood and bone marrow samples are sent to St Jude, where clinicians use state-of-the art-tools to identify specific cancer-causing gene combinations. This provides the child with the opportunity to receive treatment specifically designed to fight their type of cancer. Over the past two years, 61 RCH patients have been enrolled in the program.
Recruitment for the trial ceased in mid-2023 due to meeting enrolment targets. The patients enrolled will continue to have follow up, including neurocognitive assessments.
The overall aim of the trial is to reduce the toxicity of treatment, maximise the quality of life and improve the cure rate for children with ALL and lymphoblastic lymphoma.
Patient video stories
JASON
JASON
Jason was brought to The Royal Children's Hospital due to a severe infection that was causing his organs to fail. After spending six months in intensive care on ECMO and receiving support from multiple teams across the hospital, Jason is now making incredible progress.
Funds raised through the Good Friday Appeal help children like Jason thrive.
MAYSEN
MAYSEN
What started as body aches and pains turned into something far more serious for 12-year-old Maysen.
After arriving at the hospital, weak and unable to eat or speak, Maysen was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS). A condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves causing severe paralysis.
After spending a long time in the Intensive Care Unit on BiPAP (a machine to help him breathe), Maysen began his challenging rehabilitation journey to learn how to move again.
With support from his family and care team, he soon returned to his vibrant, energetic self, making friends on the ward and bringing smiles to those around him. Here is his story.
ARIA
ARIA
When Aria was born, her parents had never even heard of Pierre Robin sequence (PRS). While undergoing surgery as a baby, Aria had a stroke in theatre, and it was unclear how her development would be affected.
Throughout her childhood, Aria has undergone multiple surgeries and now lives with epilepsy but has taken everything in her stride.
Money raised through the Good Friday Appeal helps make sure children, like Aria, get the best care, so they can thrive.