Despite the challenging year 2020 was, Starlight continued to deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families.

Since Starlight granted its first Starlight Wish in 1989 to a young boy diagnosed with cancer who dreamt of owning his very own computer, 11,712 life changing Starlight Wishes have been granted across the country (up until 31 December 2020).

A Starlight Wish is designed to suit the specific needs of each individual child and can come in all shapes and sizes – from travel and experiences, to gifts and hero wishes! 

Starlight Wishes give sick kids something positve to look forward to and an opportunity to leave the pain of treatment behind and just have fun.

In 2020 alone, there were 484 referrals to the Wishgranting program from health professionals and more than 300 Starlight Wishes granted.

While 2020 posed struggles for everyone across the globe, it was especially tough for families dealing with serious illnesses. That’s why Starlight was even more determined to help make sick kids dreams come true.

Travel is usually the most popular Wish granted, but due to restrictions and safety concerns, there was a rise in tangible Wishes, such as gaming computers, bedroom makeovers, cubbies and puppies, particularly Golden Retrievers.

In November 2020, we were proud to donate $250,000 from Golden Casket unclaimed prize money to Starlight Children’s Foundation to grant a further 38 Starlight Wishes to sick kids and their families. 

There are currently 990 children in the Wishgranting program. Due to travel postponments and cancelations in 2020, this year Starlight will have more children waiting for their Starlight Wish to be granted than any other year. We hope many more of their dreams come true.

Check out the video below to find out more about our donation!