Firefighter Calendar
Calendar Funds Help Fight Kids Burns
The 2007 QFRS calendar has once again done a fantastic job, not just in making women all over Queensland smile, but also by raising money for a very worthy cause – the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
On Friday 9 February, calendar organiser Senior Firefighter Bruce Mitchell and his band of buff firemen joined QFRS Commissioner Lee Johnson and Minister for Emergency Services Pat Purcell to hand over a $100,000 cheque to the wonderful team from the Royal Children’s Hospital Burns Centre at Herston, Brisbane.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Queensland Firefighters Calendar, which is traditionally sold at the Ekka, and has now raised more than $550,000 for the Burns Centre since its inception.
Some popular pin up boys from the calendar, like long-time Mr December Dale Sorensen and honourary fire Big Wal from The Biggest Loser who posed as Mr January, attended the presentation, delighting children and mothers alike as they toured the hospital, proving once again that firefighter’s biggest muscles are their hearts.
The money raised by the calendar is allocated to the hospital’s Burns Research Group, which is headed by surgeon and burn specialist, Associate Professor Roy Kimble.
“The financial assistance from the Queensland firies has been instrumental in helping the unit become an internationally recognised world leader in the treatment and prevention of burns,” said Professor Kimble.
The Royal Children’s Hospital Burns Centre, encompassing the Burns Research Group, is the largest paediatric burns centre in Australasia and the centre treats children from all over Queensland, northern New South Wales, and the Pacific Islands.
In 2006, the Burns Unit treated 528 new patients with burns injuries and conducted follow-up assessments for approximately 1 300 children.
Vital funds donated by QFRS have helped the Burns team to purchase much-needed medical equipment, expand their team and conduct important research and clinical trials that help to develop more effective and less painful treatments for children with burns.
The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation has invested more than $1 million into burns research and continues to fund studies in this vital area, so that children can lead lives free from the trauma and scars that can result from severe burns injuries.
The 2008 calendar is set to be even bigger and better, with the boys selling the calendar from this year’s Ekka and for more information on how to buy yours, see the link below.
To order your copy of the latest calendar visit http://www.firefighterscalendar.com.au/.
Click on the link below to download a video clip from Channel 9 Extra.
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