Partnering for Good for Starship
Starship, Ruby Seeto and Wallace Cotton
Ruby Seeto has been working with Wallace Cotton since 2009, when she was an 11-year-old cancer survivor, designing colourful tea towels to raise funds for Starship, our national children’s hospital. Ruby’s tea towels have become collectors’ items over the years and her new designs are always eagerly anticipated. Read on to learn how the young patients and families of Starship have benefited from our partnership and discover her latest design.
Raising funds together
Together we have raised more than $750,000 through the sale of Ruby’s tea towels. Ruby’s Soda Tea Towel design from 2023 raised over $31,000 to help directly support the Kōrero Pono project which provided critical insight into whānau experiences of child cancer services.
Over the past 16 years, funds raised from Ruby’s tea towels have assisted with multiple projects in Starship Hospital to benefit young patients and their families, including:
Supporting upgrades to the Oncology, Neurology, Medical Specialties wards and a Parent Education Room in the Heart ward.
Equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Supporting an international training fellowship.
Refurbishing the Phlebotomy Laboratory.
The establishment of an ovarian cryopreservation banking protocol to benefit young cancer patients.
Funding new equipment for the Day Stay Unit.
Helping fund a Hospital Play Specialist to work with young patients.
Upgrading the Children’s Emergency Department tearoom.
The Kōrero Pono Project, providing critical insight into whānau experiences of child cancer services.
Home Hydration for Adolescents Project, enabling young cancer patients to receive part of their treatment in the comfort of their own homes following chemotherapy.
Starship Victoria Sponge
Ruby Seeto has shared her Victoria Sponge Cake recipe on her Wallace Cotton tea towel design for 2024, to raise funds for Starship Children’s Hospital. Ruby’s delightful Victoria Sponge is classic, delicious and a beautiful celebration cake perfect for birthdays, afternoon teas and served as a sweet treat after dinner. The latest tea towel design is colourful and fun featuring an illustrated sponge cake decorated with bright red strawberries on a red gingham tablecloth, a colourful addition for your kitchen and ideal for gifting. Ruby’s Victoria Sponge Tea Towel and Washcloth Sets are available to purchase in-store and online with $6 from the sale of each tea towel and $4 from the washcloth sets being donated directly to Starship.
Proceeds from Ruby’s Starship Victoria Sponge Tea Towel and Washcloths will help fund home hydration for adolescents and young adults following chemotherapy. This will dramatically reduce time spent in hospital for young cancer patients, allowing them to receive part of their treatment in the comfort of their own homes.