The Sam Roberts Family Fund

 

The Sam Roberts Family Fund proudly supports the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation. In particular, the fund aims to support the Palliative Care Service of the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which provides care and support for children with life limiting illnesses and their families.

 

The charity was inspired by the Roberts family - Michelle and Martin, and their three children, Lucy, Sam and Charlie.

 

Michelle and Martin’s middle boy Sam had just turned 2, when they were given the shattering news that their gorgeous blond haired little boy was terminally ill with a very rare degenerative condition called Niemann-Pick Disease type C.

 

This was when the family began to receive the valuable care and much needed support from the Palliative Service of the W&CH.

 

The Palliative Service aims to enhance the quality of life for each child and support for the family. Their service is about living life to the ‘max’.

 

The Roberts family fully embraced this notion and so as their little boy was slowly slipping away from them, they decided to celebrate each day of Sam’s short lived life and create many happy and positive memories for Lucy and Charlie of their brother.

 

The aims of the charity :

 

To provide funding for the Palliative Care service to care for children with life limiting illnesses and their families,

 

To provide funding for projects of the Palliative Care Service, such as the initiation of a ‘Family Care Unit’ within the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, which would provide care, respite and support for families with a child with a life limiting condition,

 

To provide support for the siblings and parents of terminally ill children,

 

To provide awareness of the broad range of diseases which cause life limiting illnesses and their impact on the family.

 

To provide funding and support to the Sithandízingane Care Project in Tsakane, South Africa.

 

We hope to raise over $20,000 in 2006 to assist in funding our three project goals:

 

1. We would like the “Sam Roberts Family Fund” to support the creation of  a Family Care Unit , which is a bit like a motel room within the Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where families can spend special, sacred time with their terminally ill child. The Family Care Unit will have the feeling of home, but the security of having nurses, doctors, and medical facilities at close hand. Currently a permanent facility such as this does not exist in South Australia for children with non cancer related terminal illnesses.

 

2.           We would like “the Sam Roberts Family Fund” to help cover the cost of counselling and art therapy services              for siblings and parents of terminally ill children in South Australia. This vital therapy is currently available at a              cost of $90 per session. Sadly, due to the high cost of counseling many parents and siblings have to cope alone,              with no support services.

 

3. Finally, we would like “the Sam Roberts Family Fund” to extend to supporting HIV/AIDS infected/ affected children in South Africa. Currently 200 children are born with AIDS everyday in South Africa. Through Blackfriars Priory School a link has been extended to the Sithandízingane Care Project, an   organization that provides care and psychosocial support for HIV/ AIDS infected/ affected children, poverty             stricken families, and orphans, in the Greater Brakpan area of South Africa.

 

             The Sithand’izingane Care Project was established by two Dominican nuns, Sister Sheila Flynn and Sister Mary                 Tuck in 2000. Its aim is to feed 500 children per day, and provide counselling, life skills, and help with homework              for children who have lost parents and siblings  from the HIV/ AIDS pandemic in their community.

 

 

Fundraising Update November 19, 2006

We are very pleased to announce that as of November 2006 The Sam Roberts Family Fund has raised an incredible $98,000; This amount has far exceeded our project goal of $20,000!

 

With this money we are also proud to announce the following;

1. The Womens and Children’s Hospital Palliative Care Service has been able to secure the services of Art Therapist Ms Beth Chandler, who has just commenced a 6 month contract. Beth hopes to be visiting families who receive services from Palliative care and will be visiting Lucy and Charlie soon.

2. The 4th Floor Medical Ward of the Womens and Children’s Hospital has recently set aside two general ward rooms to be converted into a Family Care Unit. Construction of the Family Care Unit, with the funds raised from the Sam Roberts Family Fund, is set to commence in early 2007.

3. $10,000 has been sent to the Sithandizingane Care Project in South Africa which supports HIV/ AIDS infected/affected children in South Africa. The Sithandizingane Care Project  is in urgent need of funding to support its Orphan After Care Centre. This centre currently feeds 500 children per day, and provides the children with much needed counselling, life skills, and help with home work.