Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Very Special Kids has a very special place in my heart. Each year Very Special Kids cares for 900 children with life-threatening conditions by providing a children's hospice and professional family support service for families from right across Victoria. It is hard to imagine the burden families shoulder when faced with a diagnosis that means their child may never reach adulthood. VSK helps shoulder that burden.

I was delighted to visit the VSK hospice in Higgins recently with the CEO, Michael Wasley, and the wonderful founder, Sister Margaret Noone, to announce they had received a volunteer grant to help them continue their vitally important work. Very Special Kids relies heavily on volunteers. There are over 1,000 volunteers who support this wonderful hospice. These volunteers are truly angels to the little angels that attend VSK. Very Special Kids has an incredibly successful training program to help ensure volunteers are fully equipped for the demanding work supporting children and families affected by life-threatening conditions. In fact, VSK was recently awarded a Volunteering Victoria Excellence Award for its training program. Congratulations again to you, VSK, for the amazing work you do for families in their hours, days, weeks and months of need.

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