Nine, in partnership with the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, staged its eighth annual Gold Telethon yesterday, with companies and individuals from around New South Wales donating a whopping $6,002,228 for sick kids.

Nicola Stokes, CEO of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, said: “We are absolutely honoured to have raised over $6 million through this year’s Gold Telethon, and donations are still coming in. Thanks to our supporters, we can help the increasing number of sick and injured children who need our hospital through state of the art lifesaving equipment and groundbreaking research so that kids have a shorter stay in hospital and get to go home sooner – where they belong.” 

The Gold Telethon, broadcast LIVE from the Nine studios in Sydney, was hosted by Nine’s favourite personalities, including TODAY’s Karl Stefanovic, Lisa Wilkinson, Richard Wilkins, Sylvia Jeffreys and Natalia Cooper, TODAY Extra’s David Campbell, as well as House Husbands’ Julia Morris, Weekend TODAY’s Deborah Knight, The NRL Footy Show’s Erin Molan, and Cameron Williams and Peter Overton from Nine News.  

Two coaches from The Voice – five-time Grammy Award winner, celebrated singer, songwriter and author, Kelly Rowland, and vocalist, producer, author, DJ and frontman of hit group Culture Club, Boy George – were also on hand to lend their support.

Stars taking a frenzy of donation calls included Chopper’s Michael Caton, The NRL Footy Show’s Beau Ryan, Love Child’s Andy Ryan, Sophie Hensser Bloom, Danielle Catanzariti, Darcie Irwin-Simpson, Sophia Forrest and Dan Hamill, Here Come the Habibs’ Michael Denkah, Rob Shehadie, Sam Alhaje,  Georgia Flood, Kat Hoyos and Tyler De Nawi, Doctor Doctor’s Rodger Corser, Hayley McElhinney, Ryan Johnson, Belinda Bromilow, Charles Wu and Brittany Clark, as well Australian Ninja Warrior’s Ben Fordham. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, players from the NSW Swifts, Penrith Panthers NRL stars and many more also took calls.

The massive entertainment lineup for the day included Aussie rock band Sheppard, singer and actress Casey Donovan, The Voice 2017’s Sally Skelton, Sony artists Jess and Matt, and Eurovision’s Isiah. Comedians Akmal Saleh and Tahir, and little surfing legend and TODAY favourite Sabre Norris also dropped by.

DID YOU KNOW 
• Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick treats more than 61,500 children each year
• On average, more than 100 children a day will come through the Emergency Department
• At any one time, there are 400 patients receiving cancer treatment in the hospital
• 1,700 people work at the hospital, including 595 nurses and 300 research staff
• Child Life Therapists use about five kilograms of “play dough” every month
• On average,  hospital staff use approximately two litres of bubbles every day to distract or entertain patients
• More than 100 children a day attend the emergency department
• More than 50% of patients admitted are under five years of age
• Each month more than 500 children undergo surgery
• 1,200 patients and siblings are enrolled in the hospital’s school
• The hospital has 160 beds on average
• Each month 244 ambulances arrive at the emergency department
• Each year 744 limb fractures are treated in the Emergency Department 
• Each year there are more than 320,000 outpatient appointments
• Each year 10,400 band-aids are used in the emergency department
• Each year more than 11,000 “icy poles” are given to recovering patients in Emergency and post-surgery
 

There’s still time to donate:
• Call 1800 CHILDREN (244 537)
• Log on to www.goldtelethon.org.au  
 

For more information please contact:
Nine Publicity
02 9965 2727

Tuesday, 13 June 2017