Did you know that 1 in 20 kids face a birth defect or genetic disease? Cancer, cystic fibrosis and life-threatening metabolic disorders are just a few examples. Thankfully organisations like Jeans for Genes contribute to finding treatments and cures. This year marked the 30th anniversary of Jeans for Genes Day, with St Peters Lutheran College being a steadfast supporter for 29 of these years.

Jeans for Genes, which raises money for the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI), has always been an important charity for the College. To celebrate the 30th anniversary, we had Weatherman Tim Davies from Channel 9, Megan Weatherstone, a scientist from CMRI as well as Krysten Davies and her daughter Olivia on campus for live crosses on the Today Show.

During the Today Show live crosses, our students whipped up delightful cupcakes and took part in a lively double denim fashion parade. Meanwhile, our talented Senior Stage Band played a medley of tunes ranging from Elton John to the Beatles. All these activities were driven by the shared mission of increasing awareness and raising funds for Jeans for Genes.

“Jeans for Genes Day is the major funding day for the Children's Medical Research Institute, which researches child genetic diseases, so get up, wear your denim, raise awareness and raise funds,” said Megan Weatherstone.

We also had an opportunity to hear from Krysten Davies about her daughter Olivia. Olivia is a happy three-year-old girl with a genetic deletion, but unfortunately, a diagnosis for her condition has not yet been identified.

“It’s definitely challenging, if we had a diagnosis, we’d be able to deal with it, but it’s just the unknown that’s scary.

“Getting answers is very important not just for our family but many families out there who don’t have a proper diagnosis for their child,” said Krysten.

Despite these struggles, Krysten takes comfort in knowing that organisations like Jeans for Genes and CMRI are working to help find treatments and cures for the diseases and conditions affecting Olivia and other children like her.

St Peters is proud to have supported the cause for 29 years and will continue to do so into the future. Thank you to Tim and the Today Show, Megan, Krysten and Olivia for coming to the College to share this important message.