STARS UNITE AT RIVER4WARD 2025 TO RAISE A RECORD-BREAKING $815,000 FOR AUSTRALIAN YOUTH WITH CANCER.

AMY SHARK, MEDIA ICONS & SPORTING LEGENDS HEADLINE SONY FOUNDATION’S RIVER4WARD 2025

Date: 29 May 2025 

Sony Foundation, the charitable arm of the Sony Group of Companies, today delivered an unforgettable afternoon as prominent Victorian figures gathered at The Glasshouse for Sony Foundation’s annual River4Ward fundraising lunch, raising a record-breaking $815,000.

River4Ward 2025 again raised much-needed funds for young Australians with cancer. 2025 marks a major milestone - 15 years of Sony Foundation’s youth cancer initiative ‘You Can’, transforming cancer care for young people nationwide.

The 2025 entertainment extravaganza featured headline performances by Sony Music artists, Amy Shark and Jem Cassar-Daley, and a Fireside Chat with Australian sporting royalty Damien Oliver, Mason Cox and Meg Lanning in discussion with Seven’s Jason Richardson. The emotional centrepiece of the event was a speech from youth cancer survivor and advocate Aidyn Clements, sharing her raw and inspiring story of resilience, hope, and survival.

River4Ward 2025 was hosted and attended by some of Victoria’s most recognisable personalities, including Nine’s Tom Steinfort, Alicia Loxley, Seven’s Mike Amor, Tyra Stowers, NOVA’s Lauren Phillips, Jase Hawkins and Clint Stanaway, Paramount’s Stephen Quartermain, Jennifer Keyte, Caty Price, Jayde Cotic, Chyka Keebaugh, Bruce Keebaugh, and representatives from Sony Foundation’s Board of Directors, including Cathy O’Connor (Chair), CEO & MD, oOh!media; Sophie Ryan-McPhee, CEO, Sony Foundation; Vanessa Picken (Director), Chair & CEO, Australia and New Zealand, Sony Music Entertainment; Damian Trotter (Director), MD, Sony Music Publishing Australia; Tom Hamaguchi (Director), MD, Sony Australia; Dr David Rosengren (Director), Director-General, Queensland Health; Mikael Borglund (Director), Founding Director, Beyond International.

Launched in 2010, Sony Foundation’s ‘You Can’ initiative has been revolutionising youth cancer care in Australia, ensuring adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer receive age-appropriate, specialised support no matter where they live. Over the past 15 years, more than $20 million has been raised to build five purpose-built youth cancer centres across the country, invest in specialist youth-focused cancer research, and provide vital accommodation for regional patients through the Foundation’s You Can Stay program.

 Aidyn Clements knows the importance of this support all too well. At just 22, the rural Tasmanian mum of two was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, an aggressive cancer that forced her to relocate to Melbourne for treatment not available closer to home.

For over 275 nights, Aidyn, her fiancé Matt and their young boys were provided free and uncapped accommodation near Aidyn’s treating hospital through You Can Stay, giving them stability and dignity through the hardest year of their lives.

“Home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be with Matt and the boys. Each time the boys were with us in Melbourne, that apartment held my heart and it fostered my hope.

“Without Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay Program, I truly don’t know how we would have coped. We had worked so hard to build a safe, loving home for our boys, a place filled with warmth, and stability. The thought of losing our home under the weight of financial stress was terrifying. But Sony Foundation lifted that burden, without their support, we could have not only lost our home, but the life we had worked so hard to build. Their support meant so much to us and our family.

Hope, for me, has always been stronger than fear. A cancer diagnosis strips life back to its most fragile core, but it also teaches you to hold tight to the things that matter most. Today, we’re raising our sons in our home in Tasmania. And in September, we will welcome our miracle baby girl into our family,” said Ms Clements.

In December 2024, Minister Butler acknowledged that 1 in 4 young cancer patients requiring inpatient care still fall through the cracks. While the Australian Cancer Plan aims to address this, stories like Aidyn’s show just how urgent the need remains.

Funds raised at River4Ward 2025 will support Sony Foundation’s You Can Stay program, an innovative national accommodation initiative delivered in partnership with Quest Apartment Hotels. You Can Stay directly tackles health inequity, offering free, unlimited accommodation for 15–29-year-old regional cancer patients and their families who must travel to city hospitals for cancer treatment. Since launching in 2020, the initiative has delivered over 35,000 nights of accommodation across Australia.

Sophie Ryan-McPhee, CEO, Sony Foundation, says the need is urgent and growing.

“Imagine being told you have cancer and then being told that to survive, you need to leave your home, your schooling or job, your community, and find a way to afford months of living in a city far from everything and everyone you know. That’s the reality for too many young Australians. The financial, emotional and psychological toll is immense. It’s not just unfair, it’s unacceptable.

“You Can Stay was created to change that. By covering the full cost of accommodation in trusted, comfortable Quest apartments, we are removing a huge barrier to treatment. It means families can stay together and young people can focus on surviving while feeling supported, rather than scrambling to stay afloat. It’s a lifeline, and thanks to the unwavering support of our partners and donors, we’re able to offer it at no cost to those who need it most,” said Ms Ryan-McPhee.

Powered by corporate and media partners, River4Ward is one of Australia’s most significant demonstrations of collaborative corporate philanthropy. Over 100 organisations, including Amazon, ARN, Foxtel, JCDecaux, News Corp, Nine, NOVA, oOh!media, Paramount, QMS, SBS, Seven, Sky News, Val Morgan, and WIN TV, will unite to back a shared vision: equitable cancer care for all young Australians, no matter where they live.

“This is what real impact looks like, industries putting competition aside to solve a national issue. Fifteen years on, You Can is stronger than ever. But this is only the beginning, we're just getting started,” said Ms Ryan-McPhee.