Australia’s Largest Christmas Party … In A Box
Who doesn’t love Christmas? Who doesn’t love a party? Who loves missing out? I’m guessing you answered “NOT ME!” to all of those question. Well the team at the Special Children’s Christmas Parties agree and work tirelessly, year-round, to make sure special children don’t miss out on their fun at Christmas time.
The goal of the organisation is simple – to put smiles on these children’s faces for at least one day of the year!
Working closely with charities, schools, community groups and government organisations, Special Children’s Christmas Parties personally invite children across Australia to what has become the biggest children’s Christmas event in the country. The invited children are suffering with serious illness, physically or intellectual impairment, or domestic violence; or living in an underprivileged situation.
Last Christmas Brisbane hosted 3000 party goers, celebrating at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. The Party was held on a Saturday, and carers and siblings were invited to share in the fun.
A total of 9000 people attended the Sydney Special Children’s Christmas Party last year. 5000 of those attending were very special children; with the additional 4000 being carers and siblings sharing the experience. The party was held over several days at the Rose Hill Racecourse. Being a mid-week event meant school groups could take children along as school excursions.
Can you imagine the sound of laughter, giggles and squeals of delight at a children’s Christmas party event that size?
For the organisation, there is so much more to the parties than just the events themselves. Staff and hundreds of volunteers work year-round to manage donations and coordinate and support fundraising efforts. Much time is spent matching appropriate gifts to the children’s ages and abilities. Hospitals, schools and community groups are engaged to create the invitation lists, making sure to invite as many children with special needs as they can. There are a lot of logistics and a huge amount of planning that goes in to these events.
We spoke with Donna Bowen, Event Management at Special Children’s Christmas Parties, about the events. She explained that they are a “huge administration task”, going on to say that “to see [the children’s] faces light up when they walk into the party room makes all the hard work worth it.”
Approximately 10 months of the year is dedicated to raising funds and planning. It takes 2 days to set up each party. And then just 2 hours of carefree fun and that year’s party is over.
Donna went on to explain that children who once enjoyed these special parties have themselves grown up to become strong advocates and fundraisers for the organisation.
How Does PODS help?
PODS has helped store a ‘party in a box’ for the past ten years for the Brisbane and Sydney Special Children’s Christmas Parties. Each location uses one large 16’ storage container to store Christmas trees, decorations, left over consumables and party supplies. The PODS storage container provides the perfect event storage solution.
The containers are stored at the PODS Storage Centres in Brisbane and Sydney, then delivered to the party locations each year when the team are ready to begin the setup for the next event.
Donna stated that the she “can’t remember doing a party without PODS.”
Being able to store the event items offsite is essential for this organisation. Event storage costs for not-for-profit organisations can be cost prohibitive. PODS are proud to act as a sponsor for these events, donating the storage to an organization that creates so much joy for so many very special children. For Donna and her team, the PODS storage containers are “more than just a box”… they help make these events possible.
Donna also made a special mention about our PODS drivers – saying that “every time they are on time and get the PODS into the tightest spaces” and “they are the greatest”.
The PODS containers are delivered to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and Rosehill Racecourse – both delivery locations have special requirements regarding access and container placement. Our unique Podzilla system, along with our very skilled drivers, manoeuver the containers into tight spaces, with minimal impact on the delivery location surfaces.
More About Special Children’s Christmas Parties
The Special Children’s Christmas Parties for 2018 will be held in November and December across Australia. Children will be treated to rides and all sorts of fun entertainment, yummy treats and new experiences. There will be face painting, celebrity stage shows and interactive games. The highlight of the day of course will be meeting Santa, and each child is given their very own Christmas gifts to take home.
Individuals and businesses, big and small, support this organisation; from small local businesses to large corporate organisations and Local and State Governments. Without this ongoing support, these events would not be possible.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Special Children’s Christmas Party, click here to find out how you can help.
This link will take you to Special Children’s Christmas Party Facebook page full of photos from the 2017 Brisbane party. Fun, smiles and plenty of Christmas cheer.
