Raising funds for Starship

Kate Pridham and her mum Rachel have so far raised over $400 for the Waikato Starship Hospital.

A young girl new to Cambridge is already making her mark on the town in a positive way, running a fundraising campaign to support children in need.

Kate Pridham, 9, has so far raised over $400 for Waikato’s Starship Hospital with the help of her mum Rachel, and members of the community. The Year 5 Goodwood student came up with the idea of fundraising for the Waikato children’s hospital after her friend, from her hometown of Matamata, was a patient at Starship.

“I’d feel really happy if someone was doing it for me,” said Kate, “I’m glad I’m doing it because it’s going to help Starship Hospital… I’ve been thinking about all the kids in Starship and want to try and make their lives a bit happier.”

Kate hopes to raise $1000 for the organisation, and with the help of her mum has so far gathered around three thousand dollars’ worth of goods for a big raffle basket, which they plan to draw at Goodwood School during Term 2.

After approaching Tivoli Cinema for a donation towards their raffle, the owner Karen Focas suggested they put on a movie fundraiser. “It was really funny,” Kate said of the movie, which doubled as the Cambridge-premier of the new movie Peter Rabbit.

The pair hope to make the raffle tickets available to buy through Goodwood School and other participating local businesses and are planning a sausage sizzle and bake sale to raise funds. For now, the $2 raffle tickets can be purchased by emailing [email protected]. Any donations towards the cause are also welcome and appreciated.

To find out more visit www.facebook.com/katesfundraising/.

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