Nine will present a special broadcast honouring one of the most enduring organisations in the world in Australian Red Cross – Connecting, on Saturday, April 3, from 2.00pm.

TODAY’s Brooke Boney and Alex Cullen will host the fundraiser and showcase the wonderful humanitarian work of Red Cross. They will be joined by Karl Stefanovic and Tim Davies (TODAY), Belinda Russell (TODAY EXTRA) and Richard Wilkins (Weekend TODAY), celebrating the amazing stories and people behind Red Cross as it seeks donations to support ongoing services for communities all over Australia.
 
We will see comedian Ross Noble like never before as he sits down with Nine News presenter Brenton Ragless to talk about losing everything in the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.

Karl Stefanovic meets an inspirational case manager working with ex-offenders to reintegrate them into the community and get their lives back on track after being released from prison. South Sydney Rabbitohs winger Josh Mansour will also join the broadcast to explain the ways he has been involved with Red Cross.

In Australia, Red Cross has programs to help all kinds of people in need. Providing much more than blood donations and disaster relief, Red Cross reconnects families separated by war and provides assistance to refugees, migrants and First Nation communities.
 
Australian Red Cross CEO, Kym Pfitzner, says: “Whether it’s someone who has suddenly lost almost everything in a bushfire, or a daily wellbeing phone call to someone feeling isolated and vulnerable, our work makes real differences to people’s lives.”

Established here in 1914 by Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, wife of Governor-General Sir Ronald, Red Cross has a proud history as a symbol of hope and humanity. Bound by its fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality, Red Cross remains committed to supporting and empowering people and communities in times of vulnerability.

Throughout our special broadcast remarkable stories of inspiration and hope will be told, including:

• The four siblings who fled a country riddled by conflict and found refuge in Albury, NSW – welcomed on arrival by Red Cross workers helping them settle into their new home.

• A family that lost everything in the bushfires that ravaged Kangaroo Island, South Australia in 2020 and a selfless recovery officer changing lives by helping the community to rebuild.  

• An Indigenous Elder who lives alone and has a rare autoimmune condition that keeps her wheelchair-bound. Each morning she receives a call from a Red Cross volunteer who makes sure she feels connected to her community.

• The courageous Red Cross emergency team who played key roles in the response to the Dreamworld tragedy on the Gold Coast in which four people died.

 
The donations raised from Nine’s broadcast for Red Cross will go towards further disaster relief work and other initiatives, such as wellbeing checks for people who are elderly, isolated or quarantining; support for First Nations people in communities across the country; and assisting young mothers who need support and education.
 
Viewers can donate on the day by calling 1800 733 276 scanning the QR code that appears on your screen, or visiting the Red Cross website.

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For more information please contact:
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Oge Ike
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Wednesday, 24 March, 2021