The Local Bird • Community
Ronald McDonald House Sydney’s 48-Hour Fundraising Appeal
Tonight, 31 families with sick or injured children are staying at Ronald McDonald House Sydney in Randwick. Every room is full. For 48 hours this August, every Gift A Night donation will be doubled to help families stay together and close to the care their child needs.
A local lifeline, just minutes from Sydney Children’s Hospital. Right here in Randwick, Ronald McDonald House Sydney gives families free accommodation and a place to stay close while their child receives treatment nearby.
Gift A Night
Double Your Impact for 48 Hours
No family imagines their child becoming seriously ill. But when the unthinkable happens, Ronald McDonald House Sydney is there. Its Gift A Night appeal is calling on our local community to help keep families close while their children undergo surgery or treatment.
From 12pm Wednesday 12 August 2026, for 48 hours, every donation will be doubled dollar for dollar by the campaign’s generous Dollar Matching Partners, while matched funds remain—helping each gift provide twice the comfort, care and time close to hospital.
It costs an average of $190 to support one family for one night at Ronald McDonald House Sydney. During the matched-giving window, a $190 gift becomes $380—enough to provide two nights of accommodation and support. Here is what four suggested gifts can do when doubled:
Helping cover half a night of accommodation and support for a sick or injured child and their family.
Donate $48 Donate 48 hours only $95 DOUBLES TO $190Providing one night of accommodation and support for a sick or injured child and their family.
Donate $95 Donate 48 hours only $190 DOUBLES TO $380Providing two nights of accommodation and support for a sick or injured child and their family.
Donate $190 Donate 48 hours only $285 DOUBLES TO $570Providing three nights of accommodation and support for a sick or injured child and their family.
Donate $285Every gift counts. People can donate any amount—these four examples simply show what a donation can provide when it is doubled. Choose another amount →
Inside Gift A Night
A 48-Hour Fundraising Hub in the Heart of Randwick
Across the 48-hour appeal, the Randwick House will transform into a telethon-style fundraising hub. Corporate teams will make calls, rally their networks and help raise urgent funds for families staying close to their children during surgery or treatment.
Last year, around 80–90 people handled calls across the two days, alongside several corporate groups. This year, live fundraising updates, family case studies, volunteers, chefs and community supporters will again come together inside the House, creating a high-energy and emotional atmosphere.
Individuals, groups of friends and corporate teams can register to take part and help raise money through the Gift A Night fundraising hub.
Register to Fundraise
A Family’s Story
Georgie’s 301 Nights at Ronald McDonald House Sydney
When two-and-a-half-year-old Georgie developed fevers and became severely dehydrated, her parents, Courtney and Jamie, never imagined how quickly their lives would change. After blood tests revealed Georgie was anaemic, further testing confirmed every parent’s worst fear: she had leukaemia.
“We were numb to our core,” Courtney recalls. “Jamie and I just looked at each other, but both had no words. I truly felt pain hit my heart and my body was in shock. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”
Courtney, Georgie’s mum
Georgie was urgently transferred from their home, three hours away, to Sydney to begin treatment. With no idea how long they’d be away and facing nearly a year of care, the family suddenly found themselves far from home, overwhelmed and scared.
That’s when they were introduced to Ronald McDonald House Sydney.
Courtney arrived exhausted, emotionally wrecked and unsure what to expect. But the moment she walked through the doors, something shifted. “I saw the words Welcome Home and it felt warm,” Courtney says. “It instantly felt like a safe place.”
From daily support from staff and volunteers, to family dinners, playtime and friendships with other families, Ronald McDonald House Sydney became a second home. For Georgie, it meant laughter, art, hide and seek, and being a kid again.
Today, Georgie and her family are back home after spending 301 nights at Ronald McDonald House Sydney. Although they’re no longer staying at the House, they will never forget the place that kept them together during one of the most difficult times of their lives.
“This isn’t just a House,” Courtney says. “It was our home. Our safe place during the most difficult time of our lives. It brings happiness to the kids, comfort to the parents, and light to the darkest moments. This House is love.”
Courtney, Georgie’s mum
But a night at Ronald McDonald House Sydney means far more than a room. It gives families free supported accommodation, meals, communal spaces, play areas and a network of staff, volunteers and other families who understand what they are going through—all just a short walk from Sydney Children’s Hospital.
Funds raised through Gift A Night will support families through the 31-bedroom Ronald McDonald House in Randwick, the Ronald McDonald House Sydney Learning Program and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick and Wollongong Hospital.
Inside the House
How You Can Help
When a child is seriously ill or injured, keeping their family close can make an unimaginable situation a little easier. Donate during the 48-hour matched-giving window and your contribution can provide twice the support.
12pm AEST Wednesday 12 August
to 12pm AEST Friday 14 August 2026
Donations will be doubled while matched funds remain. Individual donations of up to $20,000 will be matched during the 48-hour period, or until the $100,000 matching pool is exhausted. The campaign donation page will stay open until 31 August 2026, but donations made after 12pm on Friday 14 August may not be matched.
