One Weekend, $4,230: Jack & Co and Lane Cove Rally to Help Bring Sam Pratt Home

Two days, countless coffees, plenty of sausages and one extraordinary show of generosity.

Jack & Co has helped raise $4,230.19 for Greenwich para swimmer Sam Pratt, bringing her another step closer to leaving Royal North Shore Hospital and returning to her own home.

The local business hosted the two-day fundraiser, donated all the food for the sausage sizzle, provided two $200 hampers and contributed $1 from every coffee and every fuel sale across both its Northwood and Lane Cove stores.

Together with Lane Cove Swim Club, Sam’s friends and Family, the In the Cove team and hundreds of locals who turned up over the weekend of Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July, Jack & Co transformed purchases into meaningful support for Sam’s journey home.

The Weekend That Made It Happen

The fundraiser came together quickly and in the way many good things happen around Lane Cove, through people picking up the phone and asking how they could help.

Lane Cove Swim Club President Josh Baker contacted In the Cove, In the Cove reached out to Jack & Co and Jack & Co immediately got behind the idea.

A group of Sam’s friends, family and swim club members gave up their weekend to work the tongs alongside the ITC team, while locals streamed through the Northwood store to support the cause.

Why Sam Is Still Waiting to Go Home

Sam remains at Royal North Shore Hospital not because she is too unwell to leave, but because her Greenwich home is not yet accessible but the work is under way.

Carly Brewer of Brewer Swimming’s husband from Stokes Construction donated his time to strip Sam’s bathroom back to the frame. Elia Bathrooms in Lane Cove and The Tile Factory in Alexandria have donated the fixtures and tiles.

A lift is also being installed downstairs, with both the supplier and builder reducing their costs. Lane Cove Rotary secured a $1,000 Rotary Australia Benevolent Society Compassionate Grant to contribute towards the work.

The bathroom and lift are still in progress, with a longer list of local tradespeople and businesses also helping at reduced cost.

A Message from Sam

Sam is still at Royal North Shore Hospital, where a poster from the fundraiser now sits on the window shelf beside her bed.

She asked us to pass on the following message:

From the Pratt Family

Geraldine said the family had been deeply moved by the support.

A Community Working Together

One of the things that has struck us most throughout this story is the size of Sam’s network.

People have come forward from school, little athletics, netball, touch football, swimming and wheelchair basketball. They represent different chapters of Sam’s life, all turning up at once.

That is not an accident. It is what happens when someone spends their life showing up for other people.

Geraldine’s Strength

We have also had the privilege of getting to know Sam’s mum through this campaign and she deserves recognition of her own.

Geraldine is at the hospital constantly. She has carried more than most parents will ever be asked to carry and has remained steady through all of it.

What has struck us most is her gratitude. Every offer of help, no matter how large or small, is met with a thank you that makes it sound as though you have just changed her life.

Getting to know Geraldine has been one of the most meaningful parts of this story for the In the Cove team.

Jack & Co’s Extraordinary Contribution

Jack & Co did not simply put its name to this fundraiser. Owner Wade  provided the venue, donated every sausage and every piece of food served, gave away two $200 hampers and handed over $1 from every coffee and every fuel sale across two stores.

This is also far from the first time Jack & Co has stepped up for a local cause. The business backs its’s community and people in need across its stores, often quietly and without seeking recognition.

The next time you grab a coffee, fill up the car, charge up or duck in for lunch or a few groceries, it is worth remembering how much this local business puts back into the community it serves.

Why This Fundraiser Matters

In the Cove Owner and Publisher Renee Maxwell said the weekend demonstrated what can happen when local people and businesses work together.

Sam is an inspiration to many people around Lane Cove, not only because of what she has achieved in the pool, but because of the way she has handled being dealt one difficult hand after another and kept going.

There are still a few hospital boxes to tick before Sam can be discharged, but home is now well and truly on the horizon.

And when she gets there, we hear her first wish is to head straight for the pool.

In the Cove will hopefully be there to capture the moment!

You Can Still Help Sam

For those who have asked where they can contribute, both fundraising appeals remain open:

• Help Sam Get Home, organised by Sam’s family and friends
• Lane Cove Rotary’s Rotary Australia Benevolent Society appeal, where donations are tax deductible

You can also read our earlier coverage:

• Greenwich Para Swimmer Sam Pratt Needs Help to Get Home
• Jack & Co and Lane Cove Swim Club Host Weekend Fundraiser to Help Sam Pratt Get Home