With Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Giving Day this Thursday, the Redcliffe Hospital community is preparing for a meaningful day of fundraising, reflection and celebration of community spirit - recognising the people who make a lasting difference across Redcliffe Hospital.
This year’s Giving Day will honour one of those people - the extraordinary Ray Kerr, former Station Manager of 99.7 Bridge FM, whose vision and commitment helped shape Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital from its earliest days.
Ray was a strong advocate for Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital and a passionate supporter of Redcliffe Hospital and its important role in the local community. He helped establish the original Giving Day Radiothon and bring live radio broadcasting onsite at Redcliffe Hospital, creating a powerful platform for community storytelling, engagement and giving. His leadership helped embed 99.7 Bridge FM as a trusted and much-loved presence across all five previous Giving Days.
Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Manager Sharyn Tidswell said Ray’s influence will continue to be felt for years to come.
“Ray didn’t just support our Giving Days; he helped build them. His belief in community broadcasting and local connection changed what was possible for Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital fundraising and reach. This year, we are honoured to ‘Raise it for Ray’.”
In a full-circle moment, the funds Ray helped raise in recent years have contributed to the refurbishment of the Redcliffe Hospital Palliative Care Unit – the very unit where he spent his final days and experienced firsthand the transformed, more homely environment that his advocacy helped create. The upgraded spaces, made possible through previous Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Giving Days, have enhanced dignity, comfort and connection for patients like Ray and their families.
On Giving Day, Ray will be posthumously awarded the inaugural Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Philanthropic Leadership Award in recognition of his vision, leadership and the pivotal role he played in community fundraising through Giving Days, as well as the lasting impact he has helped achieve for the Redcliffe Hospital community. The award will honour individuals whose contribution exemplifies outstanding commitment to philanthropy and community benefit in healthcare.
99.7 Bridge FM’s Big Jon reflected on Ray’s enduring legacy and connection to the station and community.
“Ray was the heart of Bridge FM’s connection to Redcliffe Hospital. He believed deeply in the power of radio to bring people together. Broadcasting live from Redcliffe Hospital on Giving Day is part of what he started, and something we will continue in his honour.”
This year’s Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Giving Day will again feature 99.7 Bridge FM broadcasting live from the front entrance of Redcliffe Hospital, bringing the local community together to raise comfort, wellbeing and research close to home. The focus is on completing the refurbishment of the remaining single rooms and ensuites in the Palliative Care Unit, to raise dignity, comfort and privacy for patients and families when they need it most.
As the community prepares for Raise it for Redcliffe Hospital Giving Day on Thursday 21 May, organisers say this year carries a particularly special meaning: this year, we will ‘Raise it for Ray!’
