After the devastating loss of her son, Kingston Smith, just before his third birthday, Madeleine Birnie and her family wanted to do something to honour his life.
In conjunction with her parents, Brendan and Dianne Smith, and Tomorrow Today, she established the Kingston Smith Memorial Fund in 2015. The permanent named fund is administered by Tomorrow Today and supports early intervention programs that enhance the education, health and wellbeing of Benalla’s young children.
The Kingston Smith Memorial Fund supports families to access opportunities such as swimming lessons and glasses for their children. The Fund assists families who would not otherwise be able to afford these expenses. Madeleine explained how important knowing how the funds were used was to her and her family. “We get a letter each year from Tomorrow Today which tells us how funds were spent. It makes me glad to know that children in Benalla are getting the benefit of the funds – it’s really rewarding to hear about it.”
Every year Madeleine and her family raise money to contribute to the fund and this year is no exception. What has changed is how they’ve gone about it. To coincide with the anniversary of Kingston’s passing on 17 December, Madeleine’s husband Tim, crowd-funded his own ‘great shave’ first growing and then shaving off his beard for this special cause.
“Tim’s always kept a very well-maintained beard so having him not touch it for two months was a massive thing!”
Tim shared how special it was, “I’ve loved my beard for many years, but it was an honour to lose it for this worthy cause. We raised just over $1000 for the fund. We had about 25 people sponsor me. People were so generous. We’re very grateful to them for donating.”
Local hairdresser Bec Murray donated her time and skill to make the big shave a reality. “We’d like to say a big thank you to Bec, who gave her time for free to do this – she’s done a great job! And also to my parents, Brendan and Dianne, for their support in making this happen.”
When asked about whether another great shave was on the cards for next year, Madeleine laughed and suggested that one of her many siblings might be taking up the baton next time for a unique fund-raising activity.
If you would like to make a contribution to the Kingston Smith Memorial Fund, click DONATE above.
