Frequently asked questions

We are here to help, so feel free to reach out for any tips, tricks or questions!

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ABOUT THE EVENT

What is Dance for Sick Kids

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Dance for Sick Kids is a 7-day dance challenge raising much-needed funds to support families with a seriously ill or injured child. It is specially designed to be inclusive and bring together a community of people who want to dance to make a difference.

All funds raised will support the services provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney (RMHC GWS)  and Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania (RMHC VIC & TAS)  Read more about RMHC here.

When is Dance for Sick Kids?

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This year, Dance for Sick Kids was held from 13 - 19 May 2024, during National Families Week. To be the first to hear about our 2025 dates, we recommend that you register your interest!

If you're unable to join us at this time, no worries! You can make a difference for sick and injured kids all year round. Simply reach out to our team to get set up, choose a time that suits you best and dance each day for one week.

TAKING PART

How do I sign up?

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Registrations for our 2025 event are yet to open. To be the first to hear, simply click Register Your Interest at the top of the page and follow the steps! If you need a hand, please get in touch on 0449 007 302 or email danceforsickkids@rmhc.org.au

Do I have to dance for the consecutive time?

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Nope, you don’t have to dance consecutively. You can break up your dancing time throughout the day however you wish, whether it be 30 minutes when you wake up or 30 minutes at night, or anywhere in between.

I honestly have two left feet & can’t dance. Can I participate some other way?

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We're loving your commitment to helping seriously ill and injured children! We understand dancing is not for everyone, so of course! Dance is all about having fun and getting moving.

So why not pledge to be active in another way for that amount of time, run, roll, walk, swim (maybe at least finish it off with the Macarena). Remember to update your bio to let your supporters know what you're getting up to!

Can I do any dance style?

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You certainly can! Even if your dance skills don’t progress past the chicken dance, we strongly encourage everyone to dance your own way! Whether that is hip-hop, ballet, line-dancing or even the classic waltz. You might want to learn a whole new genre, routine or even the latest TikTok dance. 

Do I have to post about my dancing on social media?

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By posting your dancing on social media you're able to let your friends and family know that you're fundraising for a good cause! We encourage anyone that feels comfortable to post their daily dancing on social platforms using #danceforsickkids. This is a great way to show your supporters what you’ve been up to while also connecting to the wider DFSK community.

Join our Facebook Group and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

If you're under 18, we advise to get permission from your parents and/or guardians before you post or share anything on social media.

We recommend all parents/guardians read our Cyber Safety Tips.

Where do I log my dance moves?

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You’ve performed those killer moves, you need somewhere to show you’ve done it!

We are encouraging participants to log their dance moves in the below ways:

  1. Your Dance Diary! You can find it on your fundraising dashboard. Think of your Dance Diary as your blog. You can log your time dancing, post photos or just write a little something about your dancing efforts.
  2. Complete your Dance Tracker that will be sent to you when you reach $160! It's a fun way to keep yourself motivated throughout the week.
  3. Post your dancing on your social media! We know it can seem daunting, but so many of your supporters want to see you dancing. By posting it on your social media using #danceforsickkids and tagging us @danceforsickkids you can be featured on our inspiration wall as well as connecting to the wider Dance for Sick Kids community!

If you're under 18, we advise you to get permission from your parent and/or guardian before you post or share anything on social media.

We recommend all parents/guardians read our Cyber Safety Tips.

TAKING PART AS A TEAM

Can I start a team with friends, family or colleagues?

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Sure can! And we encourage you to. Creating a team to join Dance for Sick Kids is a fun way to stay connected with colleagues or loved ones. It's easy, when you register, select create or join team. Think of a fun team name and start recruiting your team members to help make a difference!

Still having trouble? Reach us on 0449 007 302 or email danceforsickkids@rmhc.org.au and we will help you complete the setup.

How do I invite people to my team?

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It’s always more fun dancing as a team. Creating a team to join Dance for Sick Kids is a fun way to stay connected with friends, family or colleagues.

After you create a team you can send pre-written email invites from your fundraising dashboard. Or simply share your team link, there’s a ‘Join Us’ button on the page.

Can anyone join my team?

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The more the merrier is what we think. Invite your colleagues and get them to invite their friends. It’s about having fun and supporting seriously ill children. You will have the option to allow anyone to join your team, or you can set your team to private so only those you invite can join.

Can I share the time load with my team?

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Dancing feet always need a break! If you need to share the dance load, go for it! Just getting involved and making a difference for sick kids is what really matters!

SPONSORING AND DONATING

How do people sponsor me / my team?

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Your fundraising page is your best friend! Supporters can sponsor and donate to you / your team directly through your fundraising page. This will be set up as soon as you sign up.

How can I keep my sponsors up to date with my dancing?

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Being accountable – we love it! There are a few helpful ways for your sponsors to keep up to date.

  1. Your Dance Diary – Your dance diary is your blog. You can find it on “My Page” on your fundraising hub. Post all your updates here and invite your sponsors to your page for regular updates.

  2. Send them emails straight from your fundraising page! On your fundraising hub on “My Dashboard” you will find “Get Support”. Here you are able to send emails to your contacts as well as share your page directly to your socials!

  3. Post your dancing on your social media. We know it can seem daunting, but so many of your supporters will most likely be on your social networks. By posting it on social media using #danceforsickkids and tagging us @danceforsickkids you can be featured on our inspiration wall as well as connecting to the wider Dance for Sick Kids community!

Are my donations tax-deductible?

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Yes, all donations over $2.00 are tax-deductible. You will receive a tax receipt via email.

Can I get a new tax receipt?

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Sometimes there are just too many emails! If for any reason you have misplaced your tax receipt, please contact us and we can re-issue it for you.

Reach us at 0449 007 302 or email us at danceforsickkids@rmhc.org.au

Can I make a donation on behalf of my business?

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Generous business' are more than welcome!

At the time of making your donation, you will see an optional 'Company' field. Simply enter your business name here and the tax receipt will be issued for the business.

I am having trouble donating.

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Sorry to hear that! Luckily, we are here to help.

An error message can sometimes mean your card was declined or the transaction failed for some reason.
Please check that the details you entered are correct and there are sufficient funds available.

If you are still encountering issues please call us at 0449 007 302 or email us at danceforsickkids@rmhc.org.au

REWARDS

Will everyone receive all rewards?

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Rewards are on a first-in best-dressed basis. We want to ensure as much of the incredible funds you raise go to the cause, supporting seriously ill and injured children and their families, so for that reason the amount of stock of each reward is limited.

Rewards will be distributed to those who hit the fundraising targets first until all stock is exhausted.

Can I buy the rewards?

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The rewards are pretty cool so we understand why you'd be willing to pay, but they aren't for sale!

Instead, why not make a donation towards your fundraising page, this way it will help you reach the reward target faster!

When will I receive my rewards?

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You've put in all that effort and deserve these rewards! All rewards posted within 72 hours of the participant hitting the reward level.

All rewards will be posted with Australia Post. Please click here to Australia Posts current service times.

Can you hit the reward level as a team and all receive it?

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Teamwork makes the dream work! But unfortunately not for rewards.

Rewards are earnt on an individual basis, therefore the reward fundraising target needs to be hit on your individual fundraising page, not as a team total.

Why not have some friendly competition within your team of who can earn them all first?!

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES 

What is Ronald McDonald House Charities?

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Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) provide a warm, safe, home-away-from-home when seriously ill or injured children require specialist care and treatment far from their home towns in regional and rural Australia.

By fundraising for RMHC, you'll help provide valuable family-centered care that plays an important role for families while their child receives treatment. Your support will help to provide much needed emotional and practical support that reduces the stress and costs to families while improving their ability to cope.

What other ways does Ronald McDonald House Charities help families with seriously ill or injured children?

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Ronald McDonald House provides critical family-centred services and support and accommodation for families with a seriously sick or injured child.

We offer in-house support for the families that stay with us such as home-cooked dinners thrice a week, various activities that give them the space to create happy memories as they go through an extremely challenging time, and more.

We also provide a place to rest and relax through Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and one-on-one tuition through our Learning Program.

Click through to read more about these programs.

How many families does RMHC support each year?

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Ronald McDonald House Charities in Greater Western Sydney, Victoria and Tasmania supportes over 4,700 families each year, across our core programs including our Houses, Family Rooms and Learning Program.

When I donate, where does my money go?

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All funds raised through Dance for Sick Kids in 2024 will support the over 4700 families supported by Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney and Ronald McDonald House Charities Victoria & Tasmania. 

Who is eligible to stay at Ronald McDonald House Charities?

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Keeping the family together can be extremely tough without support, which is why we offer accommodation for parents with seriously ill children who need to travel for their child’s treatment and for Mothers going through a high-risk pregnancy.

We try to accommodate the needs of families where we can, but this is always subject to availability. Priority is given to families whose children have been recently diagnosed, seriously injured or who require emergency treatment, and families travelling long distances from their home.

SCHOOLS

Primary & High Schools

How can our school get involved?

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There are many ways your school can get involved in Dance for Sick Kids! 

To start, register your school team. Once this is completed shout it from the school rooftop for all teachers, students and your entire community to join your team! Together, you can individually fundraise and will see your total impact as a team. 

Why not host a DFSK disco day at your school? Organise dance lunch breaks or who doesn't love a friendly dance battle! The world is your oyster for how your school can get involved!

Do we have to choose one of the options for the amount of time we dance each day?

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Nope. When you register there's an option to 'Choose your own challenge'. Choose whatever you are comfortable with! If that's 5 mins a day, great! As long as you are safe and having fun there's no worries. For the keen dancers out there you might want to set yourself a bigger challenge with a dance marathon!

Dance for Sick Kids is designed to be all-inclusive and to allow children of all abilities to get involved and moving so the challenge is super flexible. All students who sign up will have the option to choose their own time limit for dancing if they want to get in a few extra steps before and after school.

CONTACT THE DANCE FOR SICK KIDS TEAM

If you have any questions about Dance for Sick Kids or need a hand with anything, please reach out. We're here to help!