The countdown to Telethon weekend is well and truly on and we’re so excited to be getting behind WA’s much-loved community event, helping to change little lives for the better.
Last year, we announced that MinRes was extending its support of Telethon with a $10 million commitment over the next five years. This means we provide a $2 million donation each year to supporting the health and wellbeing of WA kids. Our donation helps to fund medical research into childhood diseases, provide much needed medical equipment and critical services for children with disabilities and life-changing opportunities for disadvantaged children.
MinRes People Systems Lead, Nicole O’Connor, is one of 16 MinRes employees volunteering at the Telethon Call Centre and Family Festival this weekend, helping to raise much needed funds for children who need it most.
Nicole knows firsthand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of help from Telethon. When Nicole’s daughter Harper was 18 months old, she was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) with suspected meningitis or meningococcal.
“She was perfectly fine one day and the next very unwell with what we assumed was a virus her sister had just recovered from,” said Nicole.
“We took her to our GP that day and as she couldn’t move her neck, and they advised to take her straight to PCH. After running tests on Harper, they discovered she had an abscess in her lymph gland and she underwent an operation to remove it.
“It is scary to see your child so sick, but we are thankful that both the GP and PCH staff took it seriously and thoroughly investigated what was causing her illness.
“I really believe in what Telethon does and I’m grateful that MinRes is allowing me this opportunity to volunteer and give back. It’s more meaningful to us now than ever before.”
The Telethon broadcast from RAC Arena begins at 7pm on Channel 7 this Saturday, 22 October, through to Sunday, 23 October, with a free Telethon Family Festival taking place on the Sunday at RAC Arena and along parts of Wellington Street.
