Mineral Resources (MinRes) has partnered with the Healthy Strides Foundation and Telethon to fund the purchase of a second Stride Zero G system.
The partnership marks the second time the mining company has worked with both parties.
In 2022, MinRes worked with Healthy Strides and Telethon to bring Stride Zero G – a support and balance system that stops people falling as they undergo crucial rehabilitation and practice walking and balance skills – to Western Australia.
It marked the first time Stride Zero G had been used for paediatric rehabilitation in Australia, with the system now having an eight-month wait list.
“We were proud to help bring this technology to WA for the first time and I was privileged to visit Healthy Strides recently to see how it is helping children learn to walk,” MinRes executive general manager of people Andrea Chapman said during the Telethon’s live Channel 7 broadcast.
“The therapy is literally changing lives, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Telethon to fund a second Zero G system so Healthy Strides can help more children sooner.”
A second Stride Zero G system will help reduce that wait list and allow Healthy Strides to potentially offer the therapy to infants and toddlers for the first time.
“It’s not about perfection but it is about providing crucial opportunities for children who have physical impairments to move freely and to see what happens when they push through their legs and stand or walk. For some, it’s a sensation they’ve never had before,” Healthy Strides founder Dayna Pool said.
“To help children discover early on who they are, rather than later as so often happens, it just changes the trajectory of their lives and genuinely shapes futures.”
The commitment from MinRes forms part of the $3.2 million donation the company pledged at the Telethon tally in 2023. The funds will help fund medical research, life-saving equipment and critical services for WA children.
MinRes employees helped stage the inaugural Healthy Strides Foundation Move-A-Thon fundraiser for Telethon in April.
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