A gift of lasting happiness

By leaving a gift in your will to Starlight, you will be helping generations of seriously ill children find happiness during the darkest times.

When a child is diagnosed with a serious illness, all the fun and joy of childhood disappears. Suddenly their life is filled with fear, pain and anxiety.

That’s where your gift can create a lasting impact.

For over 30 years, Starlight has been helping sick kids experience the joy of childhood. We work in partnership with health professionals to develop programs that help improve sick kids’ resilience, confidence and overall wellbeing.

We believe in happiness for sick kids because what happens in childhood lasts a lifetime.

A gift in your will to Starlight will help bring joy and happiness to children’s lives for generations to come.

Leave a legacy

Leaving a gift in your will to Starlight is a special and meaningful way to create an enduring legacy.

Gifts help us plan with confidence to reach our long-term goals to be there when and where children need us most.

This means we can invest in the most effective ways to help bring fun, joy and laughter to children across Australia regardless of their age, illness or health condition.

Your impact

A study by PwC shows that for every $1 invested into our Starlight Express Room program, there's a return of over $5.70 to the community.

“At Starlight we know happiness matters to children facing the unimaginable challenges of serious illness. It matters now, because the joy of childhood shouldn’t disappear just because a child is sick. And it matters long term, as what happens in childhood lasts a lifetime. The work we do to bring happiness to sick kids is only made possible by the kind generosity of our supporters. Every gift makes a lasting difference.

Ria Oxburgh, National Philanthropy Manager

How to leave a gift in your will

There are three ways to leave a gift in your will:

  1. A residuary bequest - after taking care of your family and loved ones, you can leave all or a percentage of the remainder of your estate to Starlight.

  2. A percentage of your estate - leave a nominated portion or fixed percentage of your estate to Starlight. This will remain inflation-proof and you'll be less likely to need to update your will in the future.

  3. A specific bequest - leave a specific sum of money or specified items such as artwork, jewellery, property, antiques or shares to Starlight.

Planning your will

The first priority of your will is to care for your family and loved ones. Thereafter, leaving a gift in your will is a very personal decision and we suggest sharing your intentions with family and friends.

If you do not already have a will, you’ll need some legal advice. If you do not have a Solicitor, you can ask friends and family for a recommendation, contact the Public Trustee or Law Society in your state.

If you already have a will, you can include Starlight by simply adding a codicil, which is a short legal amendment to your current will.

Suggested bequest wording

‘I [insert name here] bequeath to Starlight Children’s Foundation ABN 80 931 522 157 for its general purposes [Choose and insert the appropriate statement from the list below]

  1. the whole of my estate

  2. (insert number) percent of my estate

  3. the residue of my estate

  4. the amount of $ (insert the value of your gift in cash)

  5. my (insert name of asset)

free of all duties, and the receipt of the Secretary or other authorised officer for the time being shall be a complete and sufficient discharge for the Executor(s).’

We are here to help

We are here to answer any questions you may have about leaving a gift in your will to Starlight. You may want to support a specific area of our work, or have a clear idea about what you would like your gift to achieve. We understand this is a very personal decision and all information and discussions are held in the strictest confidence.

Please contact:

Tegan Reidy, Philanthropy Executive

0434 475 251 or at tegan.reidy@starlight.org.au