ORGANISERS behind the local arm of a nationwide walking fundraiser aimed at supporting premature-born babies in Australia are preparing for the return of their first in-person event in four years.<\/p>\n
Now in its 14th year, the Walk for Prems event has been held in Ballarat since 2017 with its return to the region in October signalling the first group walking initiative since 2019.<\/p>\n
The event is the key fundraiser for charity organisation Life\u2019s Little Treasures, which provides families with premature-born children with financial assistance, Precious Prem Packs, and support initiatives.<\/p>\n
The Ballarat event\u2019s coordinator Samantha Smith said she\u2019s excited to see the group walk return.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s massive to be back,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got the two major hospitals in Ballarat who have prem babies.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far, we\u2019re tracking third highest which is great. We\u2019re doing better than Adelaide which is a major city. The top two are always Melbourne and Brisbane.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the things we heard during our time in hospital are still heard to this day and what this foundation can do is why I wanted to bring this back to Ballarat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Smith said their previous event in 2019 saw nearly 250 people registered, and with about 100 walkers signed on so far, she\u2019s hoping to reach similar numbers.<\/p>\n
Ballarat will be one of nine group walking fundraiser events for the initiative held in major Australian cities throughout October.<\/p>\n
According to Life\u2019s Little Treasures, 48,000 premature babies are born each year nationwide.<\/p>\n
The Ballarat event will contribute to an overall goal of $500,000 for 2023.<\/p>\n
Ms Smith has organised each Ballarat event, and said the key aim is about raising awareness for families regarding the support available to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband and I had two premature twins at 32 weeks. Our prem journey was a good one but we didn\u2019t know the foundation existed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust knowing there\u2019s a foundation out there to support families is huge. Everything\u2019s word-of-mouth these days so this is the least I can do to help other families.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ballarat event will run on Sunday 15 October at Lake Wendouree from 9.30am.<\/p>\n
To donate or register, visit the Walk for Prems website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ORGANISERS behind the local arm of a nationwide walking fundraiser aimed at supporting premature-born babies in Australia are preparing for the return of their first in-person event in four years. Now in its 14th year, the Walk for Prems event has been held in Ballarat since 2017 with its return to the region in October […]<\/p>\n