The annual KidsWish Christmas Party, which is a highlight for so many of the families we support, took place on Thursday 2nd December. Historically, this iconic Illawarra event has been held at WIN Entertainment Centre, but since 2020 an exciting new outdoor format has been adopted with the KidsWish Wild Christmas Adventure held at Symbio Wildlife Park.
Close to 800 guests including KidsWish children and their families got to enjoy a day full of laughter and joy on one of the best days of weather we have seen for weeks. The event was a huge success made possible by the amazing efforts of over 70 volunteers and the generosity of many local businesses. Each child and their sibling received a toy, a KidsWish shirt and a goody bag with donations from We Rock The Spectrum Wollongong, Leisure Coast Fruit & Deli, and The Sensory Studio. Children enjoyed a healthy lunch pack prepared by The Disability Trust’s Plant Room Café and a drink donated by Steel City Beverages. Children enjoyed live stage shows and roving entertainment by Disney Princesses and a magician. There were plenty of activities to keep the children busy including a bubble fun area, craft, LEGO®, a sensory tent and an obstacle course supported by teams from the The Disability Trust, and a Photo with Santa set.
In addition to all the event highlights provided by KidsWish, children and their families loved the wildlife, splash park and playground that Symbio has to offer. A big thank you must go out to Symbio for their “Pay-it-forward Dine & Discover” initiative where members of the community donated their discover vouchers to KidsWish to help cover the costs of putting on the event.
It was fantastic to be able to host an event for our families given the challenging year faced by us all. Loads of positive feedback has been received with so many families grateful for this fantastic event.
