Sharks players brought presents and festive cheer to young patients at Sutherland Hospital and the Sydney Children's Hospital on Tuesday for the club's annual Christmas community blitz.
Ronaldo Mulitalo, Jesse Ramien, Jesse Colquhoun, Daniel Atkinson and Jada Taylor boosted spirits at Sutherland Hospital, while Nicho Hynes, Toby Rudolf, Tom Hazelton, Braydon Trindall and Emma Tonegato did the same at Randwick.
An ongoing initiative from the club's charitable foundation Sharks Have Heart, the yearly Christmas blitz is an opportunity for the players to further strengthen their community ties and uplift those who may be doing it tough.
Catering for toddlers through to teens in handing out 100-plus new toys - the majority being generously donated by Sharks Have Heart sporting partner Sharks Ladies Golf and supplemented by our Leagues Club and football staff - the groups were honoured to meet the inspirational kids receiving treatment.
"It was heartwarming to see their faces light up as the players walked into their rooms," Sharks Head of Community and Government Relations Vinh Tran said.
"Being in a position to help people and offer respite from what they're going through is something our NRL and NRLW squads don't take for granted."
The deep impact of the hospital blitz was apparent, the youngsters being extremely excited to chat with some of their idols and grateful to receive gifts.
This was just one of several recent Sharks Have Heart endeavours, with NRL squad member Niwhai Puru and NRLW star Taylor also promoting Indigenous health and closing the gap messages at Menai High School on Tuesday.
This event saw Indigenous students from several primary and secondary schools come together for a yarn, listening to and sharing stories about their culture. Emerging playmaker Puru and Taylor emphasised the importance of making healthy choices like not smoking, eating good food and exercising daily to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
And in continuing to impart important lessons, Braden Hamlin-Uele and Max Bradbury helped deliver the One Heart anti-racism program to an assembly of Year 4, 5 and 6 students at Sylvania Public School on Wednesday.
Along with Taylor, the front-rowers utilised the diversity of the Sharks playing group and the power of sport to promote harmony and social inclusion.
On the back of last week's adult Mega Jaws Clinic, NRLW players and Tonegato - the Sharks Equal Access Program Lead - delivered a Mega Jaws session to the support unit at Engadine High School. Tonegato commented on the terrific opportunities for Sharks Have Heart to collaborate with schools such as Engadine HS to deliver modified and engaging physical development activities.
It's been a busy few weeks on the community front, with Tran adding: "Servicing the community is a core value of our club - whether it be through providing hope, joy or education - and we look forward to creating more positive change with our various Sharks Have Heart programs into 2024."
For more information on our community programs and to get involved go to sharks.com.au/sharks-have-heart/ or email us at [email protected].
