Pyjamas for Sick Kids

I'm going to take a step away from the norm and share a (very rough mind you) draft of mine for a JOUR1112 assignment, due more to the content itself than anything else, as I hope to spread the word a little further. If you could take the time to read , I would be very appreciative. 

Pyjamas for Sick Kids

Pyjamas are a precious commodity in Australian hospitals, according to Brisbane Mater Children’s Hospital’s Volunteer Coordinator Rosy Bratt. So much so that the Hospital’s volunteer organisation is in the final stages of planning its first ever ‘Pyjama Drive’. Similar events have met with varied success in a number of hospitals across Australia, however Miss Bratt maintains there is a more personal reason behind this particular Pyjama Drive.

“Need. Need of the kids coming in and not having the pyjamas, and staff saying 'ok, how can we do this?' Staff have an idea but they don’t have the time to do it, so as volunteer services we say to them 'where are the gaps in your team, where can we put volunteers in to help with that?' The Director of Nursing contacted me to see if there was anything we could do, and this was an idea that we decided upon. It’s for the kids that, as I say, have come from low socio-economic backgrounds or from interstate.”

Passionate as ever in her work, Miss Bratt welcomes any prospective volunteers.
“If people are interested, we currently have over 100 vacancies. If there are students who are looking to do volunteering, our shifts run 8am to 12pm and 12pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday. We ask that you come for an information session, where you get a lot of information about volunteer services, our core values, what you can expect as a volunteer and what you can expect from us.”

When asked to provide a figure, Miss Bratt was straightforward.
“As many as we can get”.

If you are interested in donating or becoming a volunteer, you can contact Miss Bratt via email at Rosy.Bratt@mater.org.au or visit their stall at the UQ Health Fair on May 16^th for more information.