Congratulations to Nina, aged 9, who created the awesome winning flag design for the 2022 CFMEU Flag Fundraiser. It was a wonderful artwork! Nina's winning design was printed onto giant flags which are now being flown at construction sites across Canberra. With this fundraiser, the CFMEU ACT was able to raise an amazing $10,000, donated to support children in hospital!
Thank you to CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union) in ACT for your amazing efforts in fundraising and your ongoing support of Canberra Hospital Foundation.
We spoke with Nina's mother, Jen, who had an incredible story to tell and made this years CFMEU Flag Fundraiser even more special.
"Nina was born prematurely at 30 weeks and weighed just 1.6kg at birth. She spent 8 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Special Care Nursery (SCN) at Canberra Hospital.
It was a challenging time - time stands still when you're a NICU parent, and nothing else matters except whether your tiny human reaches their next tiny milestone, like coming off oxygen or growing big enough to wear clothes.
We have fond memories of the wonderful nurses and doctors who looked after Nina - their genuine care and professionalism made it possible to leave the hospital without her, day after day, for 54 days.
We saw first-hand how Canberra Hospital Foundation makes a difference to families of children in hospital.
Nina was a December baby and spent her first Christmas in a humidicrib, and we were so touched by the beautiful gifts she received from the hospital - gorgeous handmade quilts and knitted toys that are still treasured today.
We are very fortunate that Nina has had no long-term complications despite her early start - she's happy and healthy, and even on the tall side now. Nina loves drawing and art.
When I saw the flag design competition on the Foundation’s Facebook page, I thought it might keep her and her four-year-old sister busy one afternoon after school. Nina was super keen to have a go, though she said she’d never drawn a construction site before.
She wasn’t expecting to win and was thrilled when she got the news! She’s promised $5 of her prize money to her little sister, and is very excited at the prospect of spending the rest on Harry Potter stuff at Quizzic Alley.
As a NICU graduate, it's nice to think that Nina's flag design will be supporting the fundraising efforts of the Canberra Hospital Foundation, to help other families with kids in hospital. Kinda feels like she's come full circle."
