Starlight Children’s Foundation Super Steps challenge has returned for its second year, encouraging Australians to walk or run 10,000 steps per day in May.

Starlight chief executive Louise Baxter says they’re setting ambitious targets.

“In 2025, we’re hoping to help even more seriously ill children and their families by increasing our Super Steps fundraising goal. If we reach $1 million, Starlight will be able to bring happiness to over 25,000 seriously ill children and their families through our essential hospital programs.”

All Super Steps funds support Starlight’s hospital services including Captain Starlight and Starlight Express Rooms which are accessible to all sick children and their families across children’s hospitals in Australia.

WA’s program manager for Starlight at Perth Children’s Hospital, Megan Strickland says the reason Starlight does the campaign is to continue finding new ways to raise money for their programs. 

Mrs Strickland says this year has seen further growth. 

“We have so many more supporters than last year and the fundraising is incredible,” she says. 

Co-founder and fundraiser of The Fundraising Agency Andrew Martin says behavioural science shows the act of giving is far more than just a financial transaction. 

“Every time a doner makes a decision to give, they reaffirm their identity as someone who is committed, and able to make a difference in the world,” Mr Martin says.

He says public fundraising isn’t just about the dollars raised, it’s about the positive impact it has on the people who give. 

Participant and parent Kayla Sipou says she is running for her youngest daughter Aurora, who was born with Pierre Robin sequence (PRS), a rare illness which led to a jaw distraction at nine weeks old. She suffered a cleft palate and hearing loss. 

Mrs Sipou says her family used the Starlight rooms numerous times a day, spending a total of six months at Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney. 

She says it was hard watching her daughter go through surgeries but Starlight helped bring joy to their family, and participating makes her feel she’s giving back. 

“I’m not rich, I don’t have much time but if I’m taking steps and raising money it means they’re benefiting from me doing something every day,” she says.

In the challenging times, Mrs Sipou says “I remind myself how Starlight helped my family and how they’re going to help others.”

Whilst it’s a lot of steps per day, she says it’s worth it.