Starlight Families Enjoy An Afternoon Escape With The Manly Sea Eagles

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20, 2008, NARRABEEN NSW: Starlight children and their families enjoyed an exclusive lunch with their favourite Manly Sea Eagles players at the teams training ground at the Sydney Academy of Sport in Narrabeen.

The Reed Group sponsors the Manly Sea Eagles and is in its second year of their successful ‘Try Scoring a Wish’ campaign which raised $100,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation in 2007. For every try scored by the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval throughout the 2008 NRL Season, The Reed Group is donating $1000 to Starlight. So far this year, Reed and Manly have raised $57,000 for Starlight which will enable Starlight to put smiles on the faces of many sick children around Australia.

Managing Director for The Reed Group Geoff Reed said, "We are always delighted to partner with the Starlight Children\'s Foundation and the valuable work they do for seriously ill children and their families. As a father, raising children is the most challenging task you can take on in life and when parenting is confronted with serious illness, there is no question the family unit suffers. Starlight relies solely on the generosity of individuals, community groups and businesses to exist and our continued support recognises the valuable work they do and enables my company and staff to give back in a genuine way to the community and hopefully make a small difference in brightening up children\'s lives at such a challenging time."

Today’s outing for the lucky Starlight families saw them travel to the training session by limousines and enjoy an exclusive lunch with the Manly Sea Eagles at their training grounds. The families also received gift bags from the Manly Sea Eagles and had the opportunity to get their favourite players autographs.

Felicity McMahon, Starlight’s Programs Manager said, "Today’s outing and the opportunity for our families to meet with their favourite Sea Eagles players has provided lots of fun and laughter, taking them miles away from the challenges and difficulties of their everyday life with doctors, specialists and treatments. Reed\'s \'Try Scoring a Wish\' campaign worked really well for us in 2007 and is looking good this year too and most importantly raises the vital money we need to keep delivering wishes."

Following the end of the 2008 NRL season, Reed will hold a Golf Day in October at Katoomba Golf Club with money raised from the TSAW campaign and the day handed over in a cheque to Starlight. For more information about this event or to make a donation to the Reed "Try Scoring a Wish" campaign for Starlight, you can click on http://www.reedgroup.com.au/trywishing