It's not often you see a young person volunteer their holiday time to help at the hospital but that's exactly what our 2026 college captain, Danielle Dulalia did over her summer break. After leading a RMHC fundraiser at our school in 2023, the experience made Danielle promise herself that if she ever became captain, she would lead it again. Fast forward to 2026 and Danielle is in fact one of our college captains and she has already laid significant foundations to make good on that promise to herself 3 years ago.
Danielle believes that to lead a successful fundraiser you need to have an understanding of the work your charity carries out. She volunteered with Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia and Brighter Lives Townsville Hospital Foundation for 9 days over her summer break. At the RMHC, Danielle got to spend time in the Children's Ward, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Paediatric Emergency Department, and the Children's Oncology Unit.
At Brighter Lives Foundation, also in the Townsville Hospital, Danielle spent her Tuesdays for 2 weeks, under their school holiday program at the Cancer Clinic where the day-oncology unit and the Radiation Therapy centre are situated. Danielle said that she found both experiences extremely rewarding and she learnt a lot talking to patients and long-term volunteers.