By Olivia Condous
The Bacchus Marsh Lions Club will be back shaking donation cans from Saturday April 9 to raise funds for the Good Friday Appeal.
Despite COVID complications last year, the club managed to raise $30,338.60 and hope to collect even more donations this year.
Bacchus Marsh Lions Club appeal area manager David Atterbury said the club collect donations year round with cans outside local shops, but the biggest influx of donations come in the lead up to Good Friday.
“We were very, very happy with our result last year, it was a big effort in that last week,” Mr Atterbury said.
“We collect three times as much in the last week leading up to Good Friday compared to the rest of the year.”
The Good Friday Appeal has been fundraising for The Royal Children’s Hospital since 1931 and is set to reach more than $400 million in total donations this year.
Mr Atterbury said supporting the cause was close to his heart, as his own son was in critical care for a week at the Royal Children’s Hospital after an accident many years ago.
“We were certainly very pleased with all of the work that they did at the Royal Children’s, so when I was asked to do the fundraising ten years ago, I didn’t hesitate at all,” he said.
Mr Atterbury said the cause was important to many members of the community who also have connections to the hospital.
“There are very few people who, when you talk to them, don’t have some sort of connection with the Royal Children’s Hospital,” he said.
Volunteers will be at The Village Shopping Centre collecting donations outside of Food Works, IGA and also Bunnings Melton.
He encouraged people to reach out and get involved, as the Lions Club is still looking for volunteers who can help out with fundraising on Good Friday.
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Mr Atterbury on 0439 324 494.
