ADELAIDE4WARD 2024
Date: 18 October 2024
MEDIA & CORPORATE TITANS TO UNITE AT SONY FOUNDATION’S INAUGURAL ‘ADELAIDE4WARD' TO RAISE $380,000 IN SUPPORT OF YOUNG SOUTH AUSTRALIANS WITH CANCER
Sony Foundation, the charity arm of the Sony Group of Companies, united government representatives, media personalities, sporting legends, and corporate heavyweights in Adelaide at its inaugural ‘Adelaide4Ward’ event today, to raise $380,000 to support young South Australians with cancer.
The event featured performances from Sony Music Entertainment artists Daryl Braithwaite and Royston Noell, and a special fireside chat with The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier of South Australia, Gill Hicks AM MBE, Travis Head, moderated by Nick Ryan. At the end of the panel, the Premier announced a donation of $50,000 to kick start the event’s fundraising efforts.
Funds raised at the inaugural Adelaide4Ward, will go towards Sony Foundation’s commitment to the build of a ‘You Can’ youth cancer centre in Adelaide – the first of its kind for the State. A formal commitment to build the centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital was announced by Sophie Ryan, CEO, Sony Foundation, at the event. Adelaide4Ward is the fourth instalment in Sony Foundation’s national ‘4Ward’ event series. For nearly 15 years, the event series has brought together corporate partners in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to raise funds to support Sony Foundation’s youth cancer initiative, ‘You Can’.
You Can was established by Sony Foundation in 2010 in response to the alarming findings of a Senate Inquiry into Australian cancer care, which highlighted the disparities in health outcomes of adolescents and young adults (‘AYA’) with a cancer diagnosis when compared to that of their paediatric and adult counterparts. Too old for children’s hospitals, and too young to be alongside the elderly during their treatment, the number one need identified by the Senate Inquiry was age-appropriate spaces and services in the hospital. To fill this gap, Sony Foundation committed to funding the build of age-appropriate youth cancer centres, within hospitals across Australia. To date, Sony Foundation has funded and opened five ‘You Can’ youth can centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.
Sony Foundation’s ‘You Can’ youth cancer centres act as hubs for specialised treatment and wrap-around allied health services, as well as social havens within the hospital for youth cancer patients. The centres offer patients a space to connect with peers and build important support networks. Each centre is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and entertainment assets from the Sony Group of Companies, including Sony Pictures theatres, Sony Interactive gaming spaces, and Sony Music studios; these immersive environments allow patients to escape the challenges of their diagnosis. Additionally, the centres offer workshops on survivorship, creative therapies, education and employment.
Sophie Ryan, CEO, Sony Foundation, says despite the significant progress that has been made in cancer treatment for adolescents and young adults, more must be done.
“More 15-29-year-olds are diagnosed with cancer than children each year, yet their specific needs are often overlooked, resulting in higher mortality rates and disproportionate financial and psychosocial burdens, which during such formative years has a long-lasting impact.
"Sony Foundation is proud to announce a funding commitment to build South Australia’s first dedicated youth cancer ‘You Can’ Centre. This will be a world-class health facility which will be a game changer for youth cancer patients treated in Adelaide.
“Adelaide is a hub for youth cancer care for patients across South Australia and Northern Territory, with this cohort facing rare and aggressive cancers that require lengthy, complex and specialised treatment. Once opened, this You Can Centre, to be built at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, will provide a haven for youth cancer patients enabling them the best chances of surviving and thriving post their cancer treatment," said Ms. Ryan.
Sony Music Artist, Daryl Braithwaite, a long-standing supporter of Sony Foundation said he was excited to perform at the inaugural event.
““Throughout my involvement with Sony Foundation over the years, I’ve heard such incredibly moving stories from young Aussies with cancer, who without the Foundation’s support would fall through the gaps. Sony Foundation’s ‘4Ward event series is so vital to raising funds and awareness for youth cancer issues, and to give these young people a chance for normality in what is a tough journey.
“The 4Ward events are always such fun events and I am proud to have been able to perform at a number of these events over many years. I am excited to see South Australia rally together to show the youth battling cancer, that we are all standing behind them,’ said Mr Braithwaite.
