Event Students honour Bear Cottage ‘Superheroes’ in Uplifting Celebration

‘Superheroes’ swooped in on the ICMS campus to celebrate and acknowledge the real life Superheroes who take care of the children and families supported by children’s hospice, Bear Cottage.

ICMS Event Management students contributed to the annual Bear Cottage Superhero Week by putting together three activities at the launch party for the children, their families, and the Bear Cottage staff who provide outstanding care to the families who need support.

Bear Cottage, like ICMS Northern Beaches Campus, is located within the grounds of St Patrick’s Estate, and is a charity close to the hearts of the ICMS community.

It is the only children’s hospice in New South Wales, providing respite and care to children with life-limiting illnesses. Established in 2001, Bear Cottage is part of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and supported by Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, the charity that fundraises to ensure every sick child has access to extraordinary care.

Theory into practice

The Superheroes Week launch event served as a practical assessment for the Event Production (EVT203A) subject that forms part of the ICMS Bachelor of Event Management.

ICMS values putting theoretical learning into practice for students to gain a richer understanding of coursework.

“The EVT203A assessment was to produce or work constructively on an event. The ICMS event students needed to work closely with Bear Cottage and contribute three activities for the day and run them independently,” ICMS Events Lecturer Janene Wardrop explained.

The students chose to do a loom band stall, glitter tattoos and a pop up photo booth, all aimed at enhancing the day’s festivities with a fun element in line with the theme of Superheroes. They met weekly, divided the tasks amongst themselves and produced a budget, project plan, site plan, risk assessment and many other aspects needed to create an event.

“They sourced items for the show bags, managed to get sponsorships from Northern Beaches Council and a few other local businesses, as well as some celebrity shout outs urging the public to ‘get their cape on for Superhero Week,” Wardrop said.

Civic leadership and engagement in practice

The efforts made by the event students to brighten the day for the Bear Cottage staff and families is as beneficial for them as it is for those who attended.

Being rooted in the community and extending a helping hand where possible is all part of the ICMS ethos of providing a well-rounded higher education experience. This results in graduates with soft skills, leadership qualities and an empathetic understanding and appreciation of the community around them wherever they may one day live and work.

“The students interacted and engaged superbly with all the children who attended their activities,” Wardrop said.

“It was a joyous day to see so many smiles on everyone’s faces and I am super proud of how our ICMS students conducted themselves throughout the day.”

* Superhero Week is an annual initiative of Bear Cottage that aims to raise funds to support the selfless volunteers and highly skilled staff who provide comfort and care to the families that care for their children in need of specialised care, and for the children themselves.

There is no charge for families to stay at Bear Cottage; fundraisers such as Superhero Week ensures that this status quo remains.

For details on how to donate to Bear Cottage, click here.