Welcome from the Mercy Health Foundation CEO

As I wipe the frost from my car window each morning, I am reminded that we are in the depths of another Melbourne winter. But, despite the cold and the rain, there has been so much happening at Mercy Health Foundation! 

I am pleased to share the 2024 Winter edition of our newsletter with you. It includes so many examples of how your generous support has positively impacted on our community.  

Our cover image is a mural of a mother whale with her baby calves that was beautifully painted by Emily Wright from AHKI Illustration for the enjoyment of residents at Mercy Place Warrnambool. It is a fitting cover image for our winter newsletter as Southern Right Whales visit Warrnambool’s beaches every year from June to September.  It is thanks to your generosity that this magical project was brought to life.  

It has been a busy few months with three key community fundraising events supporting Mercy Health.  

In April, Danny and Maria D’Mello’s Fiat-tastic Fundraiser saw their family bundle into their Fiat 500 for return trip to Sydney, with an aim to raise funds for Mercy Palliative Care in honour of their late friend, Rob. 

The team at Colliers East Office supported two of their colleagues, whose babies received life-saving care at Mercy Hospital for Women’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by walking from their Chadstone office to the Melbourne CBD.  

Both of these events smashed their $10,000 fundraising targets – well done and THANK YOU! 

I also participated in the Wyndham Rotary Fun Run in late April alongside my colleagues from Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH), as we raised funds to support WMH’s life-saving work. Thank you to everyone who walked, ran and donated. 

These community events are always a highlight in my calendar as it means I get to meet and connect with local residents, business owners and our very generous donors.  

In May, we held two major events, our annual Mother’s Day High Tea and Golf Day.  

We celebrated Mother’s Day at Alto Events Space for our Mother’s Day High Tea. The room was filled with warmth, laughter, a few tears and, importantly, a shared goal to support Mercy Hospital for Women’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to continue to care for Victoria’s smallest and sickest babies.   

My colleagues and I hosted the second annual Mercy Health Foundation Golf Day at the prestigious Kingston Heath Golf Club.  Highlights included Silver Star Motors – Mercedes Benz taking home the winning team trophy. This event raised important funds to support the ground-breaking work that Mercy Perinatal does in clinical care, education and research.  

Thank you to everyone who supported us or participated in these events, you have truly made a difference in the Mercy Health community.  

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Mercy Health Foundation newsletter – perhaps with cuppa while reading.  

Please feel free to contact me directly on [email protected] or 03 8416 7543 if you would like to discuss giving to Mercy Health Foundation. 

Thank you.  

Warm regards,  

Rebecca MacFarling
Chief Executive Officer
Mercy Health Foundation