It's beginning to look a lot like GIVEMAS!

Givemas is a great way to support patients and families who find themselves unwell and in hospital over the holiday period.

When you provide a gift, you're giving to patients who have been in the hospital for a long time, who can't be with their families and loved ones, or who don't have family nearby to visit. 

You can make a difference this Christmas by donating presents to brighten the days of patients across Canberra.

Download the printable wishlist for:

Adopt-a-Ward

If your organisation, business or group wants to support patients in a specific ward, you can do so through our 'Adopt-a-Ward' initiative. Through this initiative, you could run a 'gift drive' with your business, team or community group. Find out more in our FAQ section below.

Talk to your friendly CHF Elves!

Please call (02) 5124 3542 or email us at hello@chfoundation.org.au to discuss your Givemas donations. Thank you so much!

Feel free to contact us if you need any assistance.

All Donations for Givemas

How do I know which gifts are needed?

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We have downloadable PDF format wishlists uploaded for you above as a guide for the type of items that would be suitable for children, teens or adults in hospital. Please note, this PDF has two pages.

Are there any specific requirements for gifts?

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A few things to keep in mind…

  • Please ensure any gifts donated are not wrapped, as they need to be visible for security reasons
  • Please no food gifts
  • All donated gifts must be new, we can’t accept second-hand items due to infection control

How do I drop off my gifts?

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  • This year we will have a Givemas Station at Canberra Hospital, located in the main foyer, near reception and the security office. You can bring your gifts here to drop off, and take a photo under the mistletoe!
  • The Givemas Station will be available to accept donations on weekdays, Monday to Friday, and we can arrange a suitable time between 09:30am to 4:30pm.
  • If you require us to meet you at the Hospital Road drop off/ pick up area with a trolley, please indicate this when you call to make arrangements.
  • Please call ahead on (02) 5124 3542 so we can liaise with you to organise a suitable time to arrange drop off of your Givemas donations.

How do we share on social media?

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Thank you! When you share about Givemas to your friends, family or groups on social media, you are helping us support even more local patients for Christmas 2023. You can share this page by copying the URL, or find our posts on our socials and share them on your own feed.

Adopt-a-Ward Donations

What is Adopt-a-Ward?

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‘Adopt a ward’ is a unique way for businesses, teams and community groups who wish to generously donate more than one gift at Christmas time to the patients of Canberra Health Services.

With the help of Canberra Hospital Foundation, you can provide gifts to many patients on a particular ward who will find themselves in hospital over Christmas. We will help organise a suitable ward for you to provide gifts to, providing you the ward name, patient demographic, brief overview of the ward and number of patients likely to be in hospital at the time.

How does Adopt-a-Ward work?

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We provide you with information about a ward you can adopt, a brief overview and the demographic of the patients in the ward.

If you are doing a gift drive and are calling on your team/community to get involved, you can share this information with them which will encourage people to get involved in the community spirit of gift giving.

How do I know which gifts a ward will need?

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We will provide you with a list and requirements for the type of items that would be suitable for the patients in the ward you are adopting.

How can we deliver our Adopt-a-Ward gifts?

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  • This year we will have a Givemas Station at Canberra Hospital, located in the main foyer, near reception and the security office. You can bring your gifts here to drop off, and take a photo under the mistletoe!
  • The Givemas Station will be available to accept donations on weekdays, Monday to Friday, and we can arrange a suitable time between 09:30am to 4:30pm.
  • If you require us to meet you at the Hospital Road drop off/ pick up area with a trolley, please indicate this when you call to make arrangements.
  • Please call ahead on (02) 5124 3542 so we can liaise with you to organise a suitable time to arrange drop off of your Givemas donations.
  • Staff members working at CHS can visit the shopfront to leave their donated gifts.

Together, we are making change

Sustainable Personalised Interventions for Cognition, Care & Engagement (SPICE)

Dementia has a profound impact in Australia, affecting memory, cognition, and behaviour, which means post-diagnostic support is required for patients and caregivers. In the ACT, where 80% of dementia cases are community-based, timely assistance is vital.

Canberra Health Services and the University of Canberra have collaborated on SPICE, a 12-week program tailored to dementia patients and caregivers. SPICE focuses on physical activity, social engagement, nutrition, education, and capacity building, streamlining support and emphasising lifestyle interventions. This project aims to significantly improve the lives of those affected by dementia, leaving a positive mark on the community.

Giraffe Stand-alone Infant Resuscitation System

The Giraffe Stand-alone Infant Resuscitation System is a piece of equipment for moving infants and neonates within the hospital. It's a game-changer, improving care for our youngest patients and those who look after them.

This single, all-in-one unit is all about practicality and improving patient care. It combines all the essential resuscitation tools, simplifying the process, reducing setup hassles, and eliminating the need to learn multiple devices.

Using this equipment makes things easier for healthcare staff and cuts down on training time. It's a user-friendly, portable solution for high-risk deliveries, transportation, and bedside care, ensuring support for both staff and patients for the next ten years. 

EVT Digital Play Project

The EVT Digital Play Project has transformed the pediatric patient experience by providing essential tools for distraction and comfort for young patients. This includes Smileyscopes, virtual reality headsets that ease the stress of medical procedures through distraction, Storytime Pods for engaging, educational content, a mobile projector system to bring joy to waiting rooms, and BUZZY, a pain-relief device.

These innovations make a real difference, helping children and young people cope with medical procedures and hospital stays.

The impact of these tools extends for up to 10 years, ensuring a decade of support for our young patients. This initiative is about improving their healthcare journey and making it as positive as possible.

Three other ways you can make change

1. Donate to our Christmas Appeal

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Join a community of people who want to share the joy of Christmas by...
...providing gifts to patients who have endured extended hospital stays, are separated from their loved ones, or lack nearby family support.

Givemas is an opportunity to help support patients and families who find themselves unwell and hospitalised during the holiday season.

2. Adopt-a-Ward

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With the power of sharing, your organisation, business or group may want to support patients through...

...gift giving to a specific ward through our 'Adopt-a-Ward' initiative.

We will help organise a suitable ward for you to provide gifts to, providing you with the ward name, a patient demographic, a brief overview of the ward and the number of patients likely to be in hospital at the time.

3. Give Back All Year Round with Regular Giving

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Make an ongoing meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of countless individuals by...

...joining our Regular Giving program. Your ongoing donation will help fund valuable health and wellbeing projects and programs. You can help our healthcare teams continually deliver above and beyond for every patient... every day.

Moments from Givemas last year

A social worker collected gifts from the Givemas station for a family whose mother is very unwell and had expressed her sadness of there being no Christmas at their house this year. Due to the thoughtfulness of Givemas donors, we had a range of items that suited her younger child, two teens as well as something for her.
The patients, families, visitors, volunteers and staff were so thrilled to have the choirs and musical performances back in the various healthcare campuses. The joy, peace and sometimes relief, that come from listening to the music cannot be underestimated. Thank you to all those who performed and supported.
Siblings of children in hospital, who often aren’t having a great time either, also had their spirits lifted by special visitors, the decorated wards and a small gift. Imagine seeing the U.S. Marines in full uniform when hanging around the Day Stay ward whilst your brother or sister receives treatment. Or your favourite local sporting player!
Givemas Choir Schedule by CanberraHospitalFoundation

Thank you for adopting our wards!