Bush to Sydney flights giving sick kids wings

Little Wings is a nonprofit organisation that provides free flights and ground transport services for sick children in rural and regional New South Wales. Many kids in rural NSW with serious and chronic illnesses must regularly travel to Sydney for specialised treatment. Little Wings eases the financial burden on regional families doing it tough, and returns children home safely and promptly between treatments, meaning more precious time with their family and friends.

Since their establishment in 2012 to help kids undergoing cancer treatment get to The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Little Wings has completed 2,810 journeys, transporting 6,511 passengers across more than 3 million kilometres - an incredible feat.

Little Wings has been registered with GIVIT since 2018, and has received a range of urgently needed items and vouchers in that time. Little Wings CEO, Clare Pearson calls GIVIT "silent heroes," working in the shadows to make life a little easier for rural families who really need a helping hand.

GIVIT regularly provides much-needed items to the people that Little Wings Supports, including nappies, formula, prams, grocery vouchers and back to school supplies.

Through GIVIT, Little Wings recently obtained new bedroom furniture for a large family whose home and belongings were destroyed in a fire. A laptop was donated for a girl spending most of the year in  Sydney hospital, helping her keep connected with family and friends, and join her hometown classmates online from hundreds of kilometres away. In remote Western New South Wales, we coordinated the donation of a pram for a family in a small town with no car who were walking 10 kilometres to their local doctor's appointments.

Brock, like all of Little Wings' pilots and shuttle drivers, is a volunteer. He's a big believer in giving back to those who are disadvantaged only because of their postcode.

"Flying these families in and out [of Sydney] is incredibly satisfying... In a way, we start to feel a little bit like family. Some families are travelling several times with us, we really start to get to know these families, and it's so rewarding to be able to see them come back and be able to know we're helping that little bit more in their journey."

Little Wings are one of almost 4,000 frontline organisations doing priceless work in the community with the help of GIVIT's generous donors.

These are the incredible organisations you're supporting when you donate items, money or time through GIVIT. See how you can help vulnerable Aussies right now at www.givit.org.au/whats-needed.