Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia has launched a nationwide appeal for 4,000 volunteers who will play a vital role in making Starlight Day, its major annual fundraising event, bigger and better than ever before.

Starlight Day is on Friday May 2 and volunteers are needed to sell Starlight Day merchandise at venues throughout regional and metropolitan Australia.

Volunteers are essential to the success of Starlight Day, particularly this year with the fundraising goal a record-breaking $2 million.

Each year there are over 600,000 child hospital admissions across Australia, at the moment Starlight can only reach one in three of these children. Starlight’s aim is to give every seriously ill and hospitalised child the opportunity to access and benefit from its programs by 2010.

Starlight CEO Jill Weekes said: “Living with serious illness causes enormous strain in the lives of children and their families. This often means that the everyday joys of childhood take a backseat to the stress of treatment and isolation.

“Starlight delivers programs to seriously ill children that restore the happiness and laughter that illness takes away. However, to enable Starlight to make a positive difference in the lives of even more seriously ill children, we need the support of volunteers this Starlight Day.”

To find out more information about volunteering this Starlight Day, or to register as a volunteer, visit www.starlight.org.au or phone 1300 727 827.

Since 1988, Starlight has brightened the lives of seriously ill and hospitalised children, and their families through the delivery of innovative programs, which provide positive distraction designed to restore the fun, laughter and joy that serious illness takes away. These programs are an integral part of the total health care of sick children and provide an optimum healing environment for them.

This Starlight Day help us bring happiness to seriously ill children.

For media enquiries please contact the Marketing department on 1300 727 827