The Hunter Children’s Research Foundation (HCRF) has announced its most successful fundraising year to date, driven by unprecedented support for its annual Lunch for the Kids and robust backing from the regional business sector. 

Now, the Foundation is making a final, critical push through its Christmas Giving campaign to ensure vital support and research funding continues for families facing the unknown after their child was diagnosed with a serious illness.

The volunteer-committee at HCRF has set a goal to raise $30,000 to help facilitate important new research into gentler and less invasive treatment and diagnosis processes for children facing Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE), a painful and lifelong condition which affects a child’s ability to eat, grow and thrive.

HCRF Chair, Sheryl Nisner said a local research group at Hunter Medical Research Institution (HMRI) and John Hunter Children’s Hospital led by Dr Scott Nightingale is working to change the experience of children and their families facing EoE.

“It’s a truly heart-breaking condition and we hope the local community can support us again to help this team research new treatment and monitoring options that can transform how EoE is treated,” Sheryl said.

“The community has been so supportive of us over the year and as an auspice group operated solely by volunteers, we’re so proud to have been able to give so much to local research which is having an impact for families all around the world.

“We see this Christmas campaign as the crucial closing chapter for 2025. It’s a strategic investment from local supporters, but more importantly, it’s about providing help to people in their time of greatest need, ensuring the momentum of life-saving local research doesn’t stall for a single day and coming together as a region to make an impact. 

“We know the Hunter region will pull together for such a cause.”

The Hunter region has become a hub recognised for our contribution to global medical research as a result of the ideas and outcomes that have come through HMRI.

HCRF was created to help provide ongoing support to researchers identifying outcomes and new treatments for childhood illnesses which are affecting the lives of local families but with the potential to help families globally.

The organisation will celebrate 30 years of academic support in 2026.

Support the HCRF Christmas appeal by clicking here.

IMAGE | HCRF’s volunteer committee (from back left to right): Judy Hogan; Kaitlin Dystra; Janelle Shakespeare OAM; Lorraine Gardner OAM; Clare McAteer; Sheryl Nisner; and Alyssa Brault.