What’s happening?
The Mackay community is being invited to get creative and share what home means to them through Drawn Together: Help Make Hospital Feel More Like Home.
The Children’s Hospital Foundation, alongside Mackay Regional Council, will host two community art drop-in sessions at The Cricket Shed, Queens Park.
The sessions will be facilitated by local artist Donna Maree Robinson.
Locals of all ages and abilities are invited to create a drawing of their home, or what home means to them.
The workshop is part of a statewide community art project that will bring together drawings from across Queensland to create a collective portrait of the places that mean the most to people.
Artworks from Mackay will form part of the statewide Drawn Together exhibition and will be showcased online in the Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Virtual Gallery at childrens.org.au/home.
Community members can book a spot HERE, with all proceeds going back to the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Why it matters?
The project highlights what many regional families face when a child needs specialist hospital care far from home.
Children’s Hospital Foundation CEO Lyndsey Rice said the initiative gives communities like Mackay a way to stand behind families during some of their toughest moments.
“Each year, families from regional communities like Mackay travel far from home to access specialist care at Queensland Children’s Hospital,” Ms Rice said.
“Through the generosity of communities across the state, the Children’s Hospital Foundation delivers wrap-around care that helps make hospital feel more like home, bringing comfort, connection and moments of joy for children and families during incredibly difficult times.”
The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Queensland Children’s Hospital. It funds cutting-edge equipment, vital research and on the ground wrap-around support for kids and the whole family unit.
By the numbers
- Last year, 5,153 families from Mackay and surrounding communities received care through Queensland Children’s Hospital and support from the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
- On 10 April, Mackay’s community art event will run as two drop-in sessions at The Cricket Shed in Queens Park.
- Mackay Regional Council is partnering with the Children’s Hospital Foundation on one statewide project that will combine drawings from communities across Queensland.
Zoom in
Drawn Together asks people to reflect on one simple idea, what home means to them.
That idea sits at the heart of the campaign.
The drawings will help create a shared portrait of home across Queensland, while also supporting children and families receiving care through Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Zoom out
The Children’s Hospital Foundation supports children with illnesses, injuries and conditions across Queensland and northern New South Wales.
Its work reaches families in cities, suburbs, rural areas, regional centres and remote communities.
The campaign is also calling for urgent donations and wider support to help continue that care.
For more about the Children’s Hospital Foundation, visit childrens.org.au.
Local impact
Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson said Queens Park was a fitting place for the community to gather for the event.
“Queens Park is a place where our community gathers and it feels fitting to host an event that celebrates what home means while supporting families going through incredibly challenging times,” Mayor Williamson said.
The event gives Mackay locals a direct way to support children and families from their own region, as well as others across Queensland.
What to look for next?
As the 10 April sessions approach, locals can book their place and take part in a project that will carry Mackay’s contribution into a statewide exhibition.
Once complete, the Mackay artworks will join the Drawn Together display online through the Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Virtual Gallery.
