The Canberra Hospital Foundation (CHF) have brought Grammy-award winning disco sensation Leo Sayer on board as an ambassador to launch their new fundraising venture – Can Give Day – on 26 November.
Mr Sayer, who has resided in the nearby NSW Southern Highlands for some time now, will perform at an online fundraising gig from the National Museum of Australia, and said he’s thrilled to be involved.
“It will be a great show, and one that I hope will inspire Canberrans to give,” he said.
Mr Sayer said getting involved with CHF was personally significant to him due to a strong family connection – his mother was a nurse during World War II, his dad was a hospital engineer and his sister was a deputy matron.
“I’d known about hospitals and what they do for years … this feels like a bit of payback for the time that hospitals were good to me and my family,” he said.
“If we can make people more aware of what healthcare workers do and how they serve the community, we can make it also a place of less fear.”
CHF chair Deborah Rolfe AM told Canberra Daily she believes Canberrans will be “very keen” to get involved supporting their health services, “particularly given the nurses and doctors have been frontline during these last very difficult months”.
“I can’t help but be proud of the tireless work healthcare workers do … but frequently it’s a thankless task so it’s important they’re well supported.”
The goal of Can Give Day is to raise $400,000 to help purchase state-of-the-art treatment technology and equipment, help fund clinical trials, research therapeutic treatments, art projects and transformations of visiting areas and lounges within the hospital, along with a host of other services.
CHF raises funds for the health and support services delivered in all public hospitals and health centres in Canberra.
Mr Sayer said the event itself will be a 24-hour ‘festival of giving’, in the style of telethons of days gone by, featuring himself and a number of other performers.
“There will be a lot of little events going on, a lot of groups involved, it’s going to be exciting, fun and it’s free,” he said.
More about Can Give Day and the Leo Sayer concert can be found at cangiveday.org.au
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