“I’ve been a supporter of SunnyKids for a very long time and have seen first-hand the incredible work they’re doing with families and children right here on the Coast. Becoming the SunnyKids patron and raising awareness on the issues of youth justice and early intervention, is something I’m very passionate about,” Mayor Natoli said.

In the last financial year, SunnyKids has seen a 13 percent increase in the support it provides to the local community covering nearly 2800 individuals including 1751 vulnerable children who needed help.

SunnyKids CEO, Kathleen Hope said the demand for the SunnyKids in Schools programs and early intervention support increases each year.

“ SunnyKids actively supports as many children and their families as we can and we are thankful that we have so many wonderful supporters who help us to fund our mission.

“Over the past 25 years we have learnt that  community education and early intervention are vital in helping break the cycle of violence and hardship.

“The increase in adolescents needing support to manage family breakdown and violence in the home has skyrocketed. We see the opportunity to change the trajectory for these children and teens, and to have Mayor Natoli become our SunnyKids patron enables us to send a very powerful message to our community. We’ll continue to advocate for change and raise awareness of the critical work that needs to be done to help the most vulnerable members of our community.

“I truly believe that together with the support of Mayor Natoli, we’ll be able to shine a light on the issues facing our community and consequently, help more vulnerable children and their families.”

End