Local Melbourne Gym Takes on Calories for Camp Quality Fitness Challenge

On Saturday 6 September, one of Melbourne’s top gyms will be buzzing with energy as fitness enthusiasts sweat it out and burn calories, all in the name of raising vital funds for children facing cancer. 

Calories for Camp Quality is a fun fitness challenge that will see participants push themselves to burn 1,000 calories in a team in just one hour, using treadmills, bikes, rowing machine or treadmill, with the goal of raising $30,000, or $1 per calorie, for children’s cancer charity, Camp Quality.

Camp Quality CEO Deborah Thomas says, “We are incredibly grateful to everyone taking part in Calories for Camp Quality, helping raise vital funds for kids facing cancer and their families.

“At Camp Quality, we see firsthand how powerful the community can be in helping families through the toughest times. We are incredibly grateful to the Melbourne community for rallying around families impacted by cancer. Every dollar raised and calorie burned will help fund vital programs like Family Camps, Kids’ Camps, Emergency Respite and Family Retreats, giving children the chance to laugh, connect and take a break from cancer. Support like this helps us bring families back together after long hospital stays and changes the cancer story.”

Funds raised will help local families like the Mulgrew’s, who were supported by Camp Quality after their eight-year-old daughter, Imogen, was diagnosed with leukaemia.

Imogen was diagnosed with cancer in February 2022, just weeks after returning from a family holiday. Fatigue, bruising, and sudden weakness led to an emergency hospital visit, where she was diagnosed within hours. “It was horrendous,” says her mum, Shannon. Imogen began treatment immediately and endured over two years of chemotherapy, more than 20 surgeries, and long hospital stays.

Camp Quality was a vital support from day one. Child Life Therapists helped Imogen through procedures, and the Camp Quality puppets brought much-needed joy during long hospital stays. “It was the first time we’d seen her laugh in months,” says Shannon. The Cancer Education Program delivered by the puppets also visited Imogen’s school to help classmates understand her experience. “After the puppet show, she wasn’t the sick kid, she was a celebrity.”

Despite lasting side effects, including osteoporosis and nine months in a wheelchair, Imogen is now back at school full-time. In November, she rang the bell to mark the end of her treatment.
Calories for Camp Quality is open to all fitness levels. Participants can register as part of a team and are encouraged to fundraise as part of their challenge.

Find out more about Calories for Camp Quality here.