Iron Man and the Starlight Children’s Foundation

The original and ongoing mission of this suit was and is to wear it into children’s hospital wards to cheer them up and give them a mental break from whatever they may be going through. Give them a smile, make them laugh and have something to remember about their stay that wasn’t all bad.

When I was approached by a retailer at a local shopping centre I jumped at the opportunity to debut the suit in public and raise money in support of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives of sick children and their families.

Later, I was approached by the organisers of the 2017 Sydney knife show, as they liked the story of how the Canberra knife making community had supported me, making and selling my knives to fund the suit. They offered to help me with travel and accommodation, as well as allowed me to fund-raise for Starlight.

Both appearances were a hit, each time raising a lot of money and having children and adults alike, flock to get their photo taken, high five and fist bump Iron Man and ask lots of excited questions.

Each outing identified small problems with the suit, which were addressed and improved. The next outing is to an actual hospital this time, no fundraising, just Iron Man and the kids.

Event #1 – Zing Pop Culture fundraiser for Starlight Children’s Foundation, May 2017.

Event #2 – Fundraiser for Starlight Children’s Foundation at the Sydney Knife Show August 2017