Sea of purple shows up for Zoe Kennedy Tribute Day

AN ANNUAL coming together of two Geelong football netball clubs continues to grow, as both remembered the life of Zoe Kennedy last Saturday.

Father of Zoe, and founder of the Zoe Kennedy Foundation, Lachlan Kennedy, said he was again taken aback by the turnout of both the Bell Park Dragons and Newtown & Chilwell Eagles communities.

“It was a brilliant day from the community, so many people turned up to show their support for the foundation and for Zoe as well.

“It seemed as though all I could see was a sea of purple, which points to my observation that the event feels like it continues to grow.”

The Zoe Kennedy Tribute Day matches was first formed in 2022 following the passing of Zoe, who suffered a fatal asthma attack at the age of 13 in 2020.

Mr Kennedy took the chance to thank both clubs following the senior men’s football match for their respects and update listeners on what the foundation continues to do.

“It was a bit overwhelming at times, but it was a great chance to talk about some of the great things we continue to do at the foundation,” he said.

“We’ve raised over $500,000 to date which is huge, and we hope to continue more of that moving forward.”

The foundation is also sponsoring a PHD to minimise the burden of paediatric and adolescent asthma management, a user-friendly spacer known as a ‘Puff-ah’ aimed at destigmatising ventilin in sports settings, and an algorithm for critical care clinicians in anaphylaxis and asthma resuscitation called AMAX4.

Mr Kennedy said exact funds raised from the day through beanie, stubby holder and scarf sales are still being finalised, but confirmed the total amount has exceeded $10,000.

For more information on the Zoe Kennedy Foundation and the initiatives it supports, head to zoekennedy.com.au