From the Weekly Times
WHEN Dean McLaren signed up for a charity football match last year his wife was pregnant. He could not know then just how important that fundraising effort would be or how he would witness first-hand the good the money could do. Mr McLaren played in the Howlong versus Jindera football match last year that put $10,000 into the coffers of the Royal Children's Hospital appeal.
Just a few months later, his baby daughter, Pippa, was rushed to the Melbourne hospital immediately after her birth at Wodonga.
Pippa, now eight months old, has been a regular patient at the RCH for several operations and there's more to go.
And Mr McLaren can't speak highly enough of the way his daughter - and family - have been treated.
"I thought it was a good cause last year but when you see first hand, it's a pretty amazing and special place," Mr McLaren said.
"Anything we can do, as a footy club, to have a bit of a kick and raise money, all helps. Every bit of money raised helps in some way or another into getting kids home."
Mr McLaren will pull on the boots again this year.
Jindera Football Club committee member Jerim Hayes said as an official RCH event, the clubs wore special RCH Good Friday Appeal jumpers, made in team colours, as well as the distinctive green and purple of the appeal.
The jumpers will be auctioned after the game, and gate takings and all the money collected from tin shaking at the match goes to the hospital.
Mr Hayes said they hoped to raise about $3000 from the event, which was designed for families.
"We will have face painting and good food and great football," he said.
"The teams will wear one-off jumpers we have had specially designed and we are hoping the auction of these will generate a fair bit of money."
He said the support of the community was critical, and he hoped people would continue to back an event which could do so much good.
"More and more people are touched by the things that the RCH does and we are all very keen to support something which does so much good."
There are four football games and netball games on the day, with the action kicking off at noon on Good Friday at the Jindera sports ground.
