ALMOST 2000 St Laurence College students walked in solidarity around Brisbane city to raise money for St Vincent’s Foundation Queensland on August 19.
The school’s annual walkathon tackled a 14km route, which included a pit stop at St Vincent Private Hospital in Kangaroo Point.
“This is such a wonderful gesture from the St Laurence’s College community,” St Vincent’s Private Hospital chief executive officer Oli Steele said.
“We applaud the students and staff for putting in a magnificent effort over many weeks of fundraising and a day of exertion to support us and I am sure our patients and residents will be uplifted and comforted by their efforts and compassion,” he said.
The school donated $10,000 for facilities at St Vincent’s Hospitals in Brisbane and Toowoomba and St Vincent’s care.
Foundation chair Professor Michael Drew said the community support from St Laurence’s would help to provide excellent, compassionate, research-driven care to St Vincent’s patients.
“The generous support of individuals, community groups, and businesses will enable the Foundation to purchase new medical equipment, drive innovation and research, enhance patient health care, educate a new generation of clinicians and provide a holistic approach to aged care services…,” he said.
St Vincent Allied Health manager Amanda Bromley hoped students got a “sense of satisfaction for actively contributing to benefit someone they may never meet”.
Her son Matthew was in Year Seven at St Laurence’s.
“I’m proud of the work that my Mum does with St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane and how her work and that of her colleagues helps everyday people,” Matthew said.
“It’s extra special for me knowing that our walkathon efforts and fundraising will benefit those people.
“It is also great that all of the boys at the College who have the health and physical fitness to walk 14km are using that to benefit others who might not have the health to even get outside and go for a walk.”
