Throwback to that time we helped Georgia with communication barriers. Nothing makes us happier than helping kids be kids! 👇👇👇👇👇👇 Learning to read and write is hard for any young child but Georgia Walton had the disadvantage of hearing loss getting in the way of learning her ABCs. However with the help of KidzWish, Georgia now has an iPad to help her communicate better with her teachers, family and friends. Her mother Susan Walton is excited about the device's potential to remove communication barriers for Georgia and her family. "Hopefully it will make communication between home and school easier," she said. The iPad is part of the KidzWish Appeals Program and will assist with Georgia's speech pathology sessions. KidzWish's speech pathologists provide free therapy to Georgia. KidzWish spokesperson Karouna Micheal said it's Support Programs including speech pathology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy is a family-centred program. "We teach signing to the family and we work with them in their environment," he said. "Our therapists go to school and they have been shopping with Georgia where they will find ways to communicate in different situations." Ms Walton said speech therapy eased the frustration Georgia felt being unable to express herself. "She's come a long way with her signs, it's so much easier for her to understand and be understood," she said. Speech therapy had revealed Georgia to be a quick learner. "She's coming along at school really well which is something we might have missed if she couldn't communicate with her teacher," Mr Micheal said.

A big reason why we do what we do is for special moments like this. Throwback to the time when KidzWish child ambassador Caleb made the front cover of Target Australia .. read this article to learn why #inclusion is so important 👇 A Dapto boy with Down Syndrome is excited to be gracing the pages of Target Australia’s latest catalogue. Caleb Jordan’s star turn was initiated by mum Julie who posted a photo of the 12-year-old to the chain’s Facebook page a couple of months ago. ''This is my son Caleb who has Down Syndrome. I have noticed that Target in America are using models with a disability. I think it would be great to see the same in Australia's catalogues,'' she wrote. It didn’t take long for Target Australia’s marketing team to get back to Mrs Jordan – and send her two tickets to Melbourne for a photo shoot. ''They’d allowed a couple of hours for the shoot but he walked onto the set the most confident I’ve ever seen him,''she said. ''He had a big smile on his face and went through four changes of clothing, and two different sets, within 45 minutes.'' Mrs Jordan said Caleb, who just completed Year 6 at Figtree Public School, had been ‘’counting the sleeps’’ till the catalogue came out. ''He’s so excited and so were all our family and friends,'' she said. ''This kind of thing is really important for inclusion – you and I have 46 chromosomes and Caleb has 47 so he’s more alike, than different. ''Another mother who has a new baby with Down Syndrome has already messaged me to say how much hope it gave her to see Caleb in the catalogue.'' Target Australia spokeswoman Kristene Reynolds said the team loved working with Caleb for the shoot. ''Caleb was a natural, and the shots we used really capture the fun we all had on the day,'' she said. ''Diversity is key for us when it comes to advertising, catalogues and product, and we want our shoppers to see themselves reflected in our branding.’’ Mrs Jordan credits the KidzWish Foundation with Caleb’s growing confidence. He takes part in the charity’s sports academy and music and dance programs, and is one of their child ambassadors.

Founded 15 years ago, KidzWish is a local charity with a clear mission – to shine light on the lives of children from the Illawarra and South Coast who are sick, disadvantaged or have a disability, while ensuring children and their families are supported and loved. “Our message is ‘never stop dreaming’, and we want as many people in the Illawarra to hear it,” says Karouna Micheal from the foundation. “KidzWish has become a symbol of support, love and laughter to both young and old.” Over the years, the charity has helped more than 50,000 children and carers, something that KidzWish is rightfully proud of. By providing support programs, families don’t have to seek help outside of the region. “We are a small team making a big impact, and all funds raised in the Illawarra stay in the Illawarra,” says Karouna. The KidzWish programs provide essential early intervention services to children in their everyday environments – they include speech pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and music/dance/sports experiences. There are also love programs, which are all about helping children shine through granting wishes, and laughter programs that give children and their families the opportunity to come together and share joy. Child ambassadors also play a vital role within KidzWish – representing thousands of children who KidzWish support from year to year. To address the growing demand for KidzWish services and ensure more children and families have increased access to programs, the charity plan on opening a new KidzWish Place in Flinders. The new space includes six therapy rooms, a music and dance studio, a multipurpose sports hall, rooms, covered play area and even a magic cupboard full of toys. “Our first KidzWish Place in Shell Cove only had one room to cater for all our programs and consequently couldn’t meet the growing demand, which is why a new KidzWish Place is an essential community resource to the families that receive the many programs we provide,” says Karouna. “With a new and improved KidzWish Place we can assist over 10,000 children annually.” Throughout the year, KidzWish hosts many events to raise funds and awareness, such as The Bridge

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2019 KidzWish Bowls Day on Friday 1 March. Full photo gallery on our Facebook page.

A two-day exhibition run by SydLUG (Sydney LEGO Users Group) at Kembla Grange Racecourse to raise funds for the Kidzwish Foundation. More than 50 tables full of custom built LEGO creations as well as a Jumping Castle, colouring in activities, play tables, a raffle and LEGO to purchase. There will also be BBQ food available throughout the weekend and an onsite Coffee van. DM us for more info.

The hot weather wasn’t going to stop Greg Binskin and his family from taking on the Bridge2Bridge challenge on Sunday. “KidzWish has been a really great supporter for the family in going through the challenges of having a boy with a disability,” Binskin said. The family from Woonona joined hundreds of others for the annual walk from the Sea Cliff bridge to Windang bridge. All funds raised go towards the services and programs offered by the Illawarra children's charity, which are invaluable to kids like Binskin’s son Ashton. “Ashton had an infantile stroke when he was eight weeks old. He still has a brain tumour,” Binskin said. “We are still trying to work through his ability. He has difficulty walking but we are training him up to walk so he has got lots of disabilities. “We have been especially grateful for the early intervention support KidzWish has provided. Ashton wasn’t supposed to be able to speak or talk. The intervention helps him through his social engagement. “The physio and other services KidzWish provides has also been very helpful.” Mr Binskin, his partner Renee Jurgielan and their sons Ashton and Hayden, as well as therapy dog Erin, walked from Bulli to WIN Stadium in Wollongong. They spoke to the Mercury while taking a rest at Towradgi beach. “We will walk to WIN Stadium and then go to Wollongong Golf Club to celebrate Ashton’s [7th] birthday,” he said. “It is great that KidzWish is a local charity that helps local kids and families. It has made a big difference in Ashton's life since they've come into our lives.” Participants had the option to walk all 40kms, or part of the course. For the first time, KidzWish speech pathologist Roisin Glover walked the whole way. She was joined by her husband, sister and other members of her family. “I think it is important to raise awareness for KidzWish in the Illawarra. We are a small organisation but we are based here trying to raise funds to stay here in the region,” she said. “Obviously a walk like this means a lot of people out and about and they see us and ask us questions about what we do.

Another Bridge2Bridge done and dusted. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us today - that’s all our walkers, runners, sponsors and volunteers. The future looks brighter every day because of supporters like you. Thank you for giving support, love and laughter to Illawarra kids. We’re just so excited about our community that we quickly put together a short highlights video to celebrate. More videos, photos and drone footage coming soon. Tag someone who needs to see this 👇👇👇

Congratulations Johnny and Graham. Finishing the Bridge2Bridge Challenge. Both have combined, raised an extra $990 for KidzWish (and counting)