Alannah & Madeline Day is back on Tuesday 12 September. Join a day of extraordinary generosity and help children heal from violence and trauma. All donations will be DOUBLED! Be the first to know when dollar matching opens by registering your interest now.
It’s a day when our community of caring people will unite to raise $200,000 to help children to thrive. Money raised on the day will help provide Buddy Bags for thousands of children who’ve been removed from violence and abuse.
Buddy Bags are backpacks carefully packed by volunteers with essential items like fresh pyjamas, new underwear and toiletries. There’s a trauma-informed toy and a book. And a teddy to give a child extra comfort as they settle into foster care.
In the next year, 13,000 children in Australia will be taken into protective care. Many will arrive at their new foster home with just the clothes on their backs. Every one of those children needs a Buddy Bag, but half of them are missing out. We simply can’t keep up with demand.
By donating on Alannah & Madeline Day, you can help change that. If you donate $50, you’ll provide a Buddy Bag to a child in crisis. And when you donate on Alannah & Madeline Day on Tuesday 12 September, your gift will be DOUBLED by our matching partners up to $100,000. This means you’ll help twice as many children to heal, recover and thrive.
Millie’s healing started with a teddy. And your kindness.
Millie, Aaron and Jessica’s parents struggled with substance abuse. After experiencing years of violence and neglect, the three siblings were taken into protective care.
The children were anxious and uncertain about the future. And all they had with them were the clothes on their backs. But when they arrived at their new foster home, they found a Buddy Bag on each of their beds.
When little Millie unzipped her Buddy Bag, her eyes lit up when she saw the teddy inside. She spoke her first words since being collected from kindergarten that day:
“I’ve never had my own teddy before”.
Millie named him Mr Beary, and carried him everywhere. For Millie, having Mr Beary meant she felt safe, and cared for. Her new teddy helped her take the first step towards healing and recovery.
It’s vital that every child like Millie receives a Buddy Bag – and has a beloved teddy like Mr Beary to call their own.
Watch to learn more about Millie and her journey
Register your interest
If you want to be part of this extraordinary day and be the first to know when dollar matching opens, you can find out more about Alannah & Madeline Day (and even make an early-bird donation) here.
