We help bring joy to kids who care for a family member

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Lions in Support of CaringKids Charity

At the 2023 National Lions Multiple District Convention at the Gold Coast the ‘Lions in Support of CaringKids Charity’ project was adopted nationally from 2023-2026.

Lions Clubs across Australia will be bringing more joy to young carers by supporting this project. Lions Clubs across cities and towns are donating funds to create Joy Boxes and raise awareness of young carers.

Nominate a Lions Club or Lions Member for a Kindness Matters Award.

CaringKids Video

CaringKids YouTube Video

CaringKids YouTube Video

We Love Our Volunteers

Our Volunteers Do you have a few spare hours to help us to send joy to young carers?

Check out our volunteer positions.

Officeworks staff and customers raise funds to bring joy to young carers

For the month of June, Officeworks customers in 13 locations have been encouraged to round up the cost of their Officeworks purchase to the nearest dollar at the check-out in store or online in support of CaringKids!

The Make a Difference Appeal is held as part of Officeworks’ People & Planet Positive Plan commitments to make a positive difference in the communities it operates. Last year’s Appeal raised more than $950,000 for 15 charities across Australia.

Thank you to all the Officeworks stores and the Space Planning and Merchandise Support Team for choosing to raise funds to bring joy to young carers this June ✨

UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell

“Play is a sign that children feel safe and nurtured and loved. They feel somewhat that they can be children even in the midst of great difficulty.”

Support Our Cause

CaringKids helps children burdened with adult responsibilities. These young carers take on tasks such as housework, shopping, cooking, dealing with health professionals and even taking on financial matters.

In order to look after a family member, young carers put caring before study, school and play time. They often have to cope with the financial hardship that goes hand in hand with the cost of caring for a family member living with a disability.

There are over 235,000 children and teenagers in Australia caring for a disabled or chronically ill family member. On average they spend 6 hours a week on caring duties.

Because of their caring commitments, 22% of young carers miss a day of school per week. As a result they are around 1.5 years behind in NAPLAN.

Give to connect Joy Boxes to  young carers. Donations over $2 are tax-deductible.

CaringKids Toy Boxes

We help to bring joy to children caring for a family member living with a disability by delivering Toy Boxes to young carers. Our Joy Boxes are packed with toys, games and books that not only bring joy, but also allow children to learn and grow.

Just a few dollars can help put a smile on a child’s face.

If you would like young carers to experience the fun and carefree moments that we associate with childhood,  a tax-deductible donation of $75 will deliver a Toy Box to a child caring for a family member.

Our Toy Boxes are delivered to the doorstep of young carers across Australia.

June 11 at 9:18am
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🎉 International Day of Play 2025
Theme: Choose Play – Every Day

🧒🏽🛝 Play is powerful.
It brings joy, builds friendships, and fuels imagination.
But for many young carers,… See more

🎉 International Day of Play 2025
Theme: Choose Play – Every Day

🧒🏽🛝 Play is powerful.
It brings joy, builds friendships, and fuels imagination.
But for many young carers, play takes a backseat to responsibility.

💛 Let’s change that.

➡️ Donate a toy today
➡️ Sponsor a Joy Box filled with toys for a young carer

🧠 Did You Know?
🎈 71% of kids say play makes them happy
👫 58% say it helps them make friends
⚠️ 160 million children are working instead of playing
🚫 Only 1 in 4 children play on their street today
⛔ 41% of children are told to stop playing by adults

✨ Let’s make play a right – not a reward.
🏫 At school
🏠 At home
📜 In policy
🫶 In every community

🎯 Choose Play – Every Day
🌈 Support young carers. Help them reclaim childhood.

#InternationalDayOfPlay #ChoosePlay #YoungCarers #JoyBox #CaringKids #RightToPlay #LetKidsBeKids #PlayEveryDay #UNICEF #Lego #PlayMatters #DonateAToy #GiveJoy #SpreadTheJoy

June 2 at 12:08pm
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⭐️ 📬 You’ve got mail!

Hello CaringKids Team!

Thank you for the beautiful gifts for our kids.

Each one of them really enjoyed opening their boxes and discovering their… See more

⭐️ 📬 You’ve got mail!

Hello CaringKids Team!

Thank you for the beautiful gifts for our kids.

Each one of them really enjoyed opening their boxes and discovering their surprises!

We were overwhelmed by the generosity at the amount of things in the boxes and they were beautifully tailored to each kid individually.

They have been crafting, Lego building, reading and playing games happily for the last week.

The kids have each written a thank you note as well-they are attached.

Thank you for everything!

Jazlyn 😊

June 1 at 11:02am
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🖤💛❤️ National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2025)

A time to reflect, listen and learn about our shared histories and cultures, and to explore how we can contribute… See more

🖤💛❤️ National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June 2025)

A time to reflect, listen and learn about our shared histories and cultures, and to explore how we can contribute together to achieve reconciliation in Australia.

This year’s theme, “Bridging Now to Next,” invites all Australians to reflect on our collective story, engage with the present, and commit to building a more united and respectful future. It reminds us that reconciliation is a continuous journey – connecting past, present and future.

As we reflect, it’s important to acknowledge the unique experiences of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers.

According to the GENERATION Survey (Edwards et al., 2023), 42% of young people who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander also reported being a young carer. This highlights the strength of cultural and family responsibilities within communities.

These findings reinforce the importance of recognising, respecting and supporting the caregiving roles many young First Nations people take on.

Let’s continue to work together for meaningful reconciliation.

Ref. Edwards, B., Doery, K., Arnup, J., Chowdhury, I., Edwards, D., & Hillman, K. (2023). GENERATION Survey: Young People, Release 2 (Wave 1-2). https://doi.org/10.26193/YMMO4L

#Reconciliation #NRW2025
#BridgingNowtoNext

May 31 at 8:58am
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Dalton McCoy, founder of Brick McCoy, a business that puts the FUN into LEGO® dropped into the Toy Workshop to deliver LEGO® donations, funded by the Brick Fair door entry gold… See more
Dalton McCoy, founder of Brick McCoy, a business that puts the FUN into LEGO® dropped into the Toy Workshop to deliver LEGO® donations, funded by the Brick Fair door entry gold coin donation collection in support of CaringKids. Dalton met with Andy, CaringKids volunteer to deliver the donations and to see the impact his support will make to young carers. Thank you Dalton! 👏Hosting community Brick Fair Markets across Sydney, Brick McCoy create events that are fun and entertaining for creators of all ages, LEGO® enthusiasts and the general public.

As the colder weather begins to set in, we’ve got the perfect weekend activity below for Sydney-siders!

🥇 A Gold coin donation at the door of every Brick McCoy event funds new LEGO® sets that donated to CaringKids. These sets are placed inside our JOY BOXES! So spread the word and lock these dates in your diary

✋ UPCOMING BRICK FAIR MARKETS

🧱 1. North West Sydney Brick Market
📅 Date: Sunday, 22nd June 2025
🕤 Time: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM📍 Location: Thornleigh Community Centre
Highlights:
✅ Hundreds of kilos of loose LEGO® bricks
✅ New, used, and retired LEGO® sets
✅ Variety of Minifigures for all ages
✅ Family-friendly fun and creativity

🧱 2. South West Sydney Brick Market
📅 Date: Sunday, 29th June 2025🕤 Time: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM📍 Location: Narellan Family and Community Centre
Highlights:
✅ Bulk LEGO® brick area to explore
✅ Wide range of new, used, and rare LEGO® sets
✅ Collectible Minifigures, including Star Wars & Disney
Great for builders of all ages

🧱 3. Sydney Brick Market (Inner West)
📅 Date: Saturday, 12th July 2025
🕤 Time: 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM
📍 Location: Concord Community Centre, Gipps Street
Highlights:
✅ Hundreds of kilos of loose LEGO® brick
✅ Massive collection of sets and Minifigures
✅ All-day LEGO® shopping and building fun
✅ Perfect for families, collectors, and fans

#lego®
#internationaldayofplay2025
#youngcarers #spreadthejoy #kindness #caringkids #wearestanlee #lionsaustralia #officeworks #westfieldlocalhero

May 31 at 8:47am
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⭐️ 📬 You’ve got mail!

Dear CaringKids

Thank you for the amazing box of goodies – which definitely brought so much joy!!!!

On a cold day in Melbourne, it was such a nice after… See more

⭐️ 📬 You’ve got mail!

Dear CaringKids

Thank you for the amazing box of goodies – which definitely brought so much joy!!!!

On a cold day in Melbourne, it was such a nice after school surprise to be delivered right into the arms of a very surprised little boy.

Seeing his face light up with sheer joy fills me with gratitude.

Thank you again for the joy and for making my boy feel very special.

Kind regards
Jade

#youngcarers #caringkids #joybox #spreadthejoy #lionsaustralia #good360 #officeworks #westfieldlocalhero

May 28 at 8:58am
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⭐️ 📫 You’ve got mail!

Dear CaringKids Toy Box Team,

Our family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful toy boxes you provided for our three children,… See more

⭐️ 📫 You’ve got mail!

Dear CaringKids Toy Box Team,

Our family would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful toy boxes you provided for our three children, Flora, Benny, and Brian. The joy on their faces when they opened their gifts was truly priceless to us.

What really touched us most was how perfectly each box was tailored to our children’s interests.

Benny has spent countless hours enjoying the Monopoly game, developing his strategic thinking and number skills while having fun.

Brian immediately took his new basketball outside and hasn’t stopped asking me to practice with him since.

Flora has been absolutely engrossed in her books as well.

The children were especially moved by receiving these thoughtful gifts from people they’ve never met before.

As they put it this way, “It’s like getting presents from Santa Claus!” They felt such warmth and gratitude knowing that strangers would care enough to select items specifically for them.

Your generosity has inspired them in a beautiful way. They’ve already told me that when they’re older and able to work, they want to contribute to organisations like yours so they can pass along the same feelings of joy and care to other children they may never meet.

The educational value of these gifts goes beyond just the items themselves, you’ve taught our children about the power of kindness and community. For that lesson alone, we cannot thank you enough.

Please extend our deepest appreciation to all your funders and supporters who make your important work possible. You are making a genuine difference in children’s lives.

With sincere gratitude,

Quan (Mother) and Flora, Benny, and Brian

#youngcarers #spreadthejoy #caringkids

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CaringKids

Caring Kids Incorporated
ABN 82 206 098 661

If you have questions about our Toy Boxes or would like more information about CaringKids, fill in the Contact Us form and we will get in touch with you soon. We welcome Toy Box feedback from children and families, share your feedback here.

Phone/Email Us

Phone: (02) 9247 7990
Email: info@caringkids.org.au

Opening Hours

Hours: By appointment

Our office is closed during school holidays.

Toy Workshop

CaringKids Toy Workshop
13-15 Baker Street
Banksmeadow NSW 2019

Postal Address

CaringKids
PO Box 91
Edgecliff NSW 2027