Ricky Richards loves helping people in need, and giving back to the community is among our top priorities.
Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation is one of the largest and most trusted children's health charities in Australia, providing support to kids whenever and wherever they need it.
In 2025, we'll celebrate thirty years as a Foundation Partner to this incredible charity and our collective ongoing efforts to support sick children and their families through financial donations. But Rickys alone cannot take the credit – it's just as much down to YOU, our generous customers, for helping us continue raising those vital funds since 1995!
Today's article celebrates its legacy of giving as we shine a light on some of the children your generous donations have helped.
Every year on November 10th, Ricky Richards donates a percentage of sales to the SCHF. It's part of an ongoing commitment to the community that kicked off back in 1995, and it's just as important to our team today as it was back then.
Why SCHF?
Director, Ron Gottlieb, initially forged the partnership after his own children found themselves in need of help. The company wanted to support a charity, and this one was close to Ron's heart, caring for thousands of young children each year - including his own. "Giving to the kids was something that touched everybody", said Ron – and an enduring partnership was born.
Who would have thought back then this incredible relationship between two Sydney-based organisations would still be going strong to this day?
Foundation Partnership Outcomes
The philosophy of 'giving to the kids' first introduced by Ron in 1995 has seen us help the organisation fund many items over the years. Most recently, in 2023, our contribution of over $20k would be used towards building a multi-functional therapy room in one of their hospitals, providing crucial support to children in need of critical care.
It has to be said that none of this would be possible were it not for our customers! Each year, when we run our annual fundraising event, the Rickys community digs deeper and deeper to raise MORE funds than ever to support this wonderful cause. Collectively, when everyone gives their two cents, magic happens, and we raise thousands of dollars to give to the SCHF.
How our Fundraising Helps
It's great to know how our funds are directly helping all kinds of initiatives at the SCHF. Yet mostly, it's the people who use the SCHF who gain the most from our donations – the children forced to visit the hospitals through illness or injury and the families reliant on their expert care to make those kids well enough to go home.
Let's meet some of the beneficiaries of this incredible charity.
Jamison's story
Nine-year-old Jamison was warming up for a swimming carnival, when mum, Christie, noticed something wasn't quite right.
"He seemed pale next to the other kids and looked like he didn't have the same level of spark that he normally had", explained Christie.
The next day, Christie took Jamison to get a blood test to check out what might be going on, thinking it was due to low iron levels or fatigue. What followed came as a complete shock.
"I got a phone call from the GP saying, 'Christie, I'm sorry, but you have to take Jamison to the emergency department at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick,'. In an instant, our whole world was turned upside down."
For the next six weeks, Christie and husband Tim had an agonising wait as teams of doctors raced against the clock to work out what was going on. They knew Jamison had bone marrow failure, but no one could say why.
Finally, Jamison's medical team confirmed he was suffering from severe aplastic anaemia - a rare disorder in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells.
There are different types of aplastic anaemia. In Jamison's case, it was very severe. Jamison was unable to make enough haemoglobin to carry the oxygen around the body, white cells to help fight infections or platelets which help your blood clot when you're bleeding.
As Christie and Tim worked through the treatment options with the team, they realised the best option for Jamison was an urgent bone marrow transplant from a sibling donor.
Thankfully 12-year-old Lauchie stepped up and got tested, determined to do what he could for his little brother. Fortunately, it turned out Lauchie was a perfect match for Jamison.
"We will never forget that day. The relief that he wouldn't have to wait for the possibility of another donor coming along was overwhelming."
After a few short weeks of preparation, including Jamison undergoing high dose chemotherapy, both boys were admitted for transplant and 12-year-old Lauchie gave Jamison the best gift any brother could – a chance at a happy, healthy childhood.
"He managed it so well. He was so brave – he'd never had any operations before, so to do that for his brother was just incredible."
As soon as the transplant was complete, the relief for the family of four was immense.
"We don't think they appreciated the gravity of what happened or how sick Jamison really was, but as the boys get older, we're sure they will better understand the significance of this amazing gift and incredible bond they now share forever."
Dr Nelson, heavily involved in Jamison's treatment, continues to lead game-changing research into the causes of aplastic anaemia and other bone marrow failure syndromes. He's also developing T-cells to try to fight viruses that are a common problem for patients who've had a bone marrow transplant.
This research will help give families answers while providing hope for their children's futures, and giving kids the chance of a childhood they deserve.
Make a donation to the SCHF
Marguerite's story
When Marguerite was a baby, she developed epileptic spasms that initially responded to medications. But at two and a half years, the epilepsy relapsed and progressed so that by the age of four, she began suffering from debilitating, tonic seizures.
"They could happen up to 100 times daily and were so unpredictable that you could be right next to her when her head slammed onto a table or she dropped backwards onto the ground," says Marguerite's mum Lindie.
"She sustained the most awful injuries. She had to wear a helmet with a face guard every day and sit on a special couch at school with a full-time teacher's aide – it was the only way to protect her. She couldn't concentrate which meant her learning was compromised, and she lost the ability to write."
Doctors in the Epilepsy Team at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick tried multiple medications and a special diet. But nothing worked. The epilepsy persisted and Marguerite had a poor quality of life.
"We spent our lives trying to keep her safe. When I dropped her off at school, I would pray I could pick her up in one piece later that day. It was painful to see what the epilepsy was taking from her."
Determined to change the future for Marguerite, the team discovered that the epilepsy was arising from a large area in the left side of her brain. She would need to undergo neurosurgery to remove her left temporal lobe and disconnect the left side of the brain from the right.
"My biggest fear was that we would lose her, or permanently disable her and there would be no difference in the seizures."
It was a major operation, but Marguerite's parents trusted that her life could be changed in the expert hands of the Hospital's Epilepsy Surgery Team.
"There were no guarantees that surgery would improve her seizures but there was no alternative. Whatever deficits she would be left with after the surgery would be a far better outcome than where Marguerite was heading. But we had faith in our team and the decision they had made."
Thanks to your donations, Marguerite was cared for by some of the brightest minds in the field who had access to the specialist equipment needed to treat her. It's now been four months since the surgery, and she has been seizure-free ever since.
With the Hospital's dedicated rehabilitation specialists behind her, Marguerite has continued to make extraordinary progress. At first, she concentrated on her speech and re-gaining basic skills and then started learning to walk again.
"Marguerite is working hard on her walking and has returned to school three times a week for one hour. She is smiling through every day. I have my little girl back and I can't thank the hospital enough."
Make a donation to the SCHF
Sofia's story
For first-time parents Kate and Jonathon, the newborn bubble quickly burst when just days after their daughter Sofia's birth, a midwife suggested something wasn't right and that they should visit the hospital.
At Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Sofia underwent an MRI which showed a black spot on the brain that initially suggested cerebral palsy.
After further investigation and rapid genome testing, Sofia was diagnosed with a rare disorder called Non-ketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH). NKH is an extremely rare metabolic disorder caused by a defect in the enzyme system that breaks down in the amino acid glycine, resulting in an accumulation of glycine in the body's tissues and fluids. It affects just one in 60,000 babies and if left untreated, it can lead to severe epilepsy and delay a child's development.
This diagnosis came as a complete shock to Sofia's family as all tests throughout Kate's pregnancy had been clear. While there are different forms of the condition, Sofia was diagnosed with the most severe. Following her diagnosis, Sofia was introduced to the Genetic Metabolic team at The Children's Hospital at Westmead, who collaborated with her medical team at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick to manage her ongoing care.
Dr Kaustuv Bhattacharya, Sofia's Metabolics Specialist says genetic testing was crucial in confirming Sofia's condition and is something that has come a long way over the years, saving thousands of young lives.
"There were 10 to 15 possible outcomes, so we ran fast-track genetic testing so her results could be available within five days. It gave us a clear diagnosis and allowed us to be certain in our treatment strategy for Sofia," explained Dr Bhattacharya.
"If we had done the same test 2-3 years ago, it would have taken a few months to get the results and her condition would have worsened without treatment. For a child with Sofia's condition, every minute counts."
Sofia began her management plan almost immediately. It involved ingesting a food additive fed to her by mouth via a syringe (the additive clumps up the glycine and allows her to urinate it out).
She also relied on various medical experts across both of Sydney's children's hospitals including the genetic, metabolic and the neurology teams who monitored her progress. They all became a routine part of the family's lives.
Thanks to this ongoing management, Sofia avoided almost all of the effects of her condition and now lives like a normal toddler. Incredibly, there were no developmental delays, and she continues to meet all her milestones.
"When you go through an experience like that, you sometimes think that it could've been a different story. We're just beyond grateful that Sofia is here with us today. It's all thanks to Sofia's medical teams who guided us from the very beginning," said Johnathon, Sofia's dad.
"When you are in this situation, you are so grateful for those donations and the support you're given. Without the care we received from the hospital, we might be telling a different story today."
Help a sick child today - make a donation!
Chloe's story
When five-year-old Chloe couldn't shake what appeared to be gastro, her parents took her to their local emergency department. Chloe was checked by the doctor and diagnosed with an ear infection, but suddenly her condition began to deteriorate. She couldn't open her eyes and became unresponsive.
Chloe was immediately placed in an induced coma and intubated overnight while her anxious parents, Matt and Katie, waited for her to be transferred to Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick. When Chloe arrived at the Hospital she was taken straight for a CT scan. The ear infection had spread to her inner ear and into her brain. It had caused pressure and swelling that was so severe, she needed urgent surgery to remove the entire left side of her skull cap. Matt and Katie were told to prepare for the worst.
"Being told that you may lose a child is absolutely gut-wrenching, you can't even contemplate it", said Matt. "That first night was the longest of our lives, but we knew there was no better place for our little girl."
Distraught at the thought of losing Chloe, they spent the next fourteen days by her side in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). After an agonising wait, the expert ICU team finally managed to wake her from her coma. Eventually, she started to breathe on her own and was moved to the Neurology ward.
Slowly Chloe made progress, and the swelling in her brain reduced enough for the missing piece of her skull to be replaced. There was a strong chance Chloe could have suffered complete hearing and vision loss, but she defied all the odds. Matt watched in amazement one day as Chloe chatted with her mum on the phone! Dedicated Physiotherapists worked with Chloe every day and eventually she could sit upright by herself, and with assistance, even walk. Soon Chloe's progress gained more momentum as the Hospital's Occupational Therapists helped her to get ready to return to school.
After five long months in Hospital, Matt and Katie were finally able to take Chloe home, thrilled at having their daughter back with them again.
"We were over the moon with how Chloe recovered, and have nothing but praise for the Hospital," said Katie. "We were always kept informed and knew Chloe had everything she needed, especially the time and attention of the wonderful staff. She recovered amazingly, and we cannot thank everyone enough who was involved in her care."
Chloe was treated by many different teams across the Hospital from the ICU and Neurology, to Rehab2Kids. They all worked together to ensure the best possible outcome. For Chloe and her family.
Would you like to help children in need?
You can make a donation to the SCHF at any time and help kids like Chloe, Sofia, Marguerite and Jamison with their recovery. To learn more about the incredible work of the SCHF and to make a donation, click here.
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