Thursday December 10, 2009
Australian celebrities support auction for children’s charity
Australian celebrities including cricket legend David Boon, host of Channel Ten’s Video Hits Fuzzy
Agolley, TV chef Guy Grossi, Coach of Collingwood Football Club, Mick Malthouse, and TV
personality Rachel Friend have turned baby blankets into art collectables in support of Save the
Children’s eBay auction to raise funds to help toddlers, young children and their families in some of
the poorest countries in the world.
Children and family inspired Guy to roll up his sleeves put down his chef’s knife and support Save the
Children’s baby blanket auction. “Children are a very important part of my family and my life,”
Grossi said. “They are the main inspiration for me doing what I do and working so hard. So when I
was asked to decorate a baby blanket I was happy to be involved and make it special for the kids.”
It was Rachel’s children who inspired her to support Save the Children’s celebrity baby blanket
auction. “I saw this as a way I could get my own children involved in a project that would raise funds
for children in need,” Ms Friend said. “As we made the blanket we talked about children in Australia
and overseas who might be sick, or hungry and need help.”
Ending on December 20, the eBay auction is in support of the charity’s Survive to Five campaign to
reduce the infant mortality rates in some of the world’s poorest countries. Worldwide 8.8 million
children under the age of five die each year. Many of these deaths are from preventable causes such
as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and measles. Others die from malnutrition, lack of clean water or
due to poverty.
Survive to Five is calling on rich countries including Australia to help improve the health and
wellbeing of newborns and children in poor countries. It is estimated that 4.2 million more health
workers are needed globally in order to reduce child death by two-thirds.
Celebrities who have decorated baby blankets in support of Save the Children’s Survive to Five
campaign include:
Guy Grossi – T V celebrity chef
Mick Malthouse – Coach of Collingwood Football Club
Rachel Friend – TV Personality
Liza Emmanuelle – Australian fashion designer
Fuzzy Agolley – Presenter of Channel Ten’s Video Hits
Peter Cundall – Former host of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia
Jo Palmer – Host of Tasmania’s Southern Cross Nightly News and former Miss Australia
David Boon – Former Australian cricketer
Valentino Rossi – Nine time world champion motorcycle racer
Jenny Bannister – Australian fashion designer
For an interview with a celebrity supporter of Save the Children
call Ian Woolverton on 0437 355 096
NEWS 
