Mackenzie to dance a second year for sick kids

ST LEONARDS resident and Year 12 St Ignatius College student Mackenzie Sinclair has used her own history with illness as a powerful motivator to help others.

Given this, she will continue to add to her list of fundraisers in 2022 as part of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Dance For Sick Kids (DFSK) initiative for a second year.

DFSK is a dance challenge run by RMHC to raise much-needed funds for its programs.

DFSK involves dancing for a number of minutes each day (in Mackenzie’s case 90 minutes) on top of dance classes and logging the minutes for supporters to see.

The aim is to have fun whilst raising support, money, and awareness for the initiative.

“I decided to participate in DFSK as many of my friends I have made throughout my time in hospital have had to stay in the care of RMHC whilst undergoing treatment for a range of conditions,” Ms Sinclair said.

“Whilst I have been fortunate enough to not require the services they provide; I’ve seen first-hand how much of a difference the care makes.

“It makes life much easier for families and allows them to all be together at the time they need each other most.”

Ms Sinclair has had success in raising funds previously, participating in the DFSK initiative last year where she raised over $1000 for the charity.

Participating in the initiative was an endless amount of fun for Ms Sinclair, allowing her to find an outlet to support others whilst doing something she loves.

Those who choose to fundraise get access to insightful workshops that dancers find extremely helpful, according to Ms Sinclair.

All funds raised go directly to the charity so it is able to provide accommodation to families of a sick child for as long as they require.

This includes meals for those staying at one of the various houses, family rooms, tutoring services and more.

“Due to all of the funds going to some vital areas supporting families of sick children, the fundraiser is so important,” Ms Sinclair said.

“Not only is it a great way for me to keep my fitness up, but it will also give the opportunity for families to be together when they might otherwise not be able to.

“Some families are required to travel long distances or be away receiving care for a sustained amount of time, and the cost of accommodation and meals can be something they don’t even want to think about.

“This provides them with the opportunity to not have to worry about those things.”

If you would like to donate to Mackenzie’s fundraising efforts, you can do so at www.danceforsickkids.com/fundraisers/mackenzies10447.