Taking it to heart with HeartKids in the ACT

There are 8 Australian kids born everyday with a heart defect - that's 2,000 a year. Congenital heart disease, or CHD, is one of the biggest killers of children under the age of 1, and raising awareness for this can help to prevent so many unnecessary deaths. There are an estimated 32,000 children around Australia that are currently living with heart disease, and around half of these children require surgery. For many, that's not financially possible.

This is why, throughout March and April, $2 from every hire in-store or online at Kennards Hire in the ACT is going towards the great work of HeartKids ACT.

With more than $365,000 raised for charity in our last Kennards for Kids campaign, General Manager NSW/ACT, Darren Simmons was over the moon to be partnering with HeartKids this year:

"I believe Kennards for Kids is a great opportunity for our team members and customers to get behind organisations that make such a difference in our communities, which is why we have been doing it for so many years. We believe that supporting organisations, such as HeartKids, which provides lifelong support to those with childhood heart disease and their families, is the least we can do for our community, our customers and our staff."

Anyone can support HeartKids ACT just by hiring equipment from Kennards Hire in Australia's capital - it's a worthwhile cause that works toward directly supporting children living with heart disease.

What does HeartKids ACT do for kids?

HeartKids ACT supports kids living with heart disease and their families. Family support coordinators operate in the hospitals, and the organisation runs activities such as camps to bring the families closer together during the treatment and recovery phases.

HeartKids also gives transport and accommodation support for families living outside the city, or those too far away from a hospital to commute regularly for treatment or to visit their kids.

According to HeartKids, a disproportionate number of indigenous children live with CHD because of rheumatic fever, which is prevalent in regional communities. It's something that greater awareness can improve - if more people are aware of rheumatic fever being a risk and know what they can do in order to prevent it, this could contribute to decreasing the number of kids who are diagnosed with CHD.

"Kennards Hire have shown themselves to be strong ambassadors for children, and like HeartKids, have a family-centric culture in place within their giving and business model," said HeartKids ACT spokesperson Rebecca Dean.

"Like us, their continued growth and sustainability brings their social contribution into national focus which benefits many in the community. At HeartKids, we receive no government funding and rely heavily on the donations from the public as well as our wonderful corporate supporters. We would like to acknowledge this partnership by directing all funds raised to a family support coordinator in the ACT region for 2017 - and hopefully many more years to come!"

How can you help?

With only a few days left to go, you can help HeartKids ACT to fund a family support coordinator in the state. All you have to do is hire a piece of equipment before the end of April and $2 from your hire will go toward HeartKids ACT.

For more information about the charity or the Kennards for Kids campaign, make sure you get in touch with the Kennards Hire team today.