Fundraiser raises over $90 million for Sydney’s Children’s Hospitals

Sydney’s Gold Dinner makes a record-breaking amount of funds for the second consecutive year.

The 2024 Gold Dinner committee.

The Gold Dinner 2024, held in Sydney on Wednesday night, made history by raising a remarkable $90.4 million for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation. This set a new record for fundraising by any Australian charity gala event and also a new global record for a children’s hospital foundation gala.

Malcom and Lucy Turnbull. Picture: Joel Symonds.

Donors have raised a remarkable $33.4 million in a single night, which surpasses the $75 million target set for the redevelopment campaign after last year’s Gold Dinner’s incredible success of $19.2 million. The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) and the Gold Committee aimed to raise funds for the construction of new buildings at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, by this year’s Gold Dinner. They’ve exceeded their target by $15.4 million as of last night.

Gold Committee Co-Chairs, Linda Penn and Joshua Penn, told The Australian they were overwhelmed by the support from donors, sponsors, and attendees.

Scott Barlow and Alina Barlow. Picture: Joel Symonds.

Joshua Penn and Linda Penn. Picture: Joel Symonds.

“We dared to dream about being able to deliver $75 million to Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation for the campaign to build world-class children’s hospitals at Westmead and Randwick,” they said

“Thanks to their giving, we are able to hand over $90 million, which will have a major, positive, lifesaving impact on the lives of sick children across New South Wales today, tomorrow and for years to come.“

The funds raised will support a new emergency department, children’s playground, and a children’s cancer centre, as well as services across intensive care, the burns unit, neurology, and dedicated family spaces.

The 2024 Gold Dinner. Picture: Joel Symonds.

SCHF Chief Executive Kristina Keneally attributes the success of the Gold Dinner to the passionate Gold Committee members. “This group of active and dedicated volunteers brings their knowledge, resources and networks to the event, connecting the country’s best philanthropists to the cause of helping sick kids live their healthiest lives possible,” she said.

“I also am grateful for the hard-working and passionate SCHF staff, who work hand in glove with the Gold Committee and the team at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. Creating such a special event and raising as much money as possible to support sick kids in hospital is truly a team effort.”

For years, the Gold Dinner has raised funds to support crucial projects for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. These projects include the Centre for Clinical Genetics, palliative care, research into rare diseases, and the construction of the Kids Complex Care Centre, which will be a significant development.

A performer at the Gold Dinner. Picture: Joel Symonds.

Entertainment at the 2024 Gold Dinner. Picture: Joel Symonds.

SCHF has generated over a quarter of a billion dollars in fundraising revenue for the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network over the past four years. Their fundraising efforts directly support approximately 159,000 children and their families each year.