Blooms The Chemist stores across the country have raised more than $1 million for Make-A-Wish Australia through local and national fundraising activities, helping the charity to create fulfill wishes for children with a critical illness.
Having achieved that significant milestone, Blooms The Chemist is now raising further much needed funds in the lead up to World Wish Day on April 29 to secure tens of thousands of donations from across its pharmacy stores from sales of exclusive keepsake Make-A-Wish pins.
Blooms The Chemist Karabar’s Retail Manager, Di Dallinger, expressed her gratitude to the local community for their support of the pin drive, seeing the Karabar store sell an average of 45 pins a day throughout April.
“The entire team at Blooms The Chemist Karabar have really made it their personal mission to raise as many funds as possible as part of the pin drive in the lead up to World Wish Day. When the pins sold out, our lovely customers have continued to donate via Make-A-Wish merchandise and other regular contributions. It is honestly so heart-warming to see the kindness of the Karabar community and others around the country as they rally behind the fundraising for these incredible children,” said Dallinger.
“With my daughter Bree being seriously ill for most of her life, I understand firsthand how important and life- changing the work that charities like Make-A-Wish do. They truly acknowledge these families’ hardships and struggles by enabling and providing experiences that will be fondly remembered for a lifetime,” she said.
Blooms The Chemist’s CEO, Phil Smith, says the pharmacy network is proud to be a longstanding partner of the inspirational children’s charity, which has been making wishes come true for critically ill children in Australia since 1985.
“Blooms The Chemist pharmacists play a critical role in our local communities, so it’s important we use our influence to help support life-changing organisations like Make-A-Wish Australia, a proud partnership we started in 2016,” said Smith.
“Blooms The Chemist has helped make unicorns fly, send rockets to the moon and more recently take Vivid to Melbourne, all unforgettable wishes that we have supported through the magnificent $1 million donation milestone – a figure that would not have been possible without the unwavering support and generosity of our local communities and our employees. These efforts have been especially important over the past year with more than 800 kids’ wishes delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
For 35 years, Make-A-Wish Australia has empowered seriously ill children and teenagers across the country with hope and joy, granting more than 10,000 wishes thanks to supporters like Blooms The Chemist. Spanning a five-year partnership, Blooms The Chemist has donated a percentage of its retail profits alongside community fundraising initiatives to the children’s charity.
Make-A-Wish Australia CEO, Sally Bateman, says Make-A-Wish Australia’s partnership with Blooms The Chemist has been instrumental in driving community-led donations for the children’s charity for the past five years.
“We are incredibly grateful for the ongoing generosity, kindness and support that Blooms The Chemist shows to Make-A-Wish. To have raised $1 million through their community fundraising is a testament to the passion of their incredible people across their vast local pharmacy network. Together, we’ll continue to empower sick kids with the hope and joy that only a wish can bring,” said Bateman.