The NORTH Foundation has announced the winners of its inaugural Philanthropy & Thank You Awards, recognising extraordinary donors, clinicians, community champions and partners who are helping to deliver better healthcare for people across the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD) and beyond. The awards were presented on Thursday 18 December 2025 at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.
The awards honour the people and organisations whose generosity powers life‑changing care and cutting‑edge research for hospitals including Royal North Shore Hospital, Hornsby Ku‑ring‑gai Hospital and the Kolling Institute.
NORTH Foundation CEO Gil Lorquet said the idea for the awards grew from seeing philanthropy in action every day across the district.
“We wanted to pause at the end of the year and properly thank the people who quietly make the impossible possible,” Mr Lorquet said. “These awards celebrate generosity in all its forms – from community-led fundraising and individual donors to strategic partnerships, as well as clinicians who help grateful patients pay it forward. Every contribution extends what is possible in public healthcare: supporting humidicribs in neonatal care, pioneering breast cancer trials, advancing mental health research, and bringing surgical robotics into our hospitals. That’s the NORTH Foundation’s role – to connect that generosity with the patients, teams and breakthroughs that need it most.”
“Public funding keeps our hospitals strong, but philanthropy lets our teams go further – faster. It brings in advanced equipment, breakthrough clinical trials and compassionate programs that transform lives,” he said. “These awards showcase what happens when a community wraps its arms around its hospitals and public healthcare system.”
Award Winner Highlights:
Community Fundraiser of the Year – Karen Humphries
Karen is a consistent and passionate supporter of the NORTH Foundation and multiple streams of cancer care and research. A cancer survivor and grateful patient, she has championed initiatives such as Costumes for Cancer and been a finalist in various local hero awards. She continues to raise awareness of clinicians and research that change outcomes for patients. She is especially committed CanSupport’s “What Now” survivorship program, supporting people to rebuild physically, emotionally and practically after treatment ends.
Philanthropic Partner of the Year – Snow Foundation
Led by Georgina Byron, the Snow Foundation has supported tick-borne disease – an important area of research that is often under-recognised and under-funded. Through a long-standing partnership spanning many years, their donations have been instrumental in advancing research, ensuring that vital progress is made in a field that impacts countless lives.
NSLHD Unit of the Year – Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Royal North Shore Hospital
Led by Dr Eveline Staub, the NICU team showed outstanding engagement in campaigns and donor storytelling, including the NICU butterfly donation walls, which elevated the unit’s visibility and inspired genuine connection with donors – already generating strong community and philanthropic support.
NSLHD Facility of the Year – Hornsby Ku‑ring‑gai Hospital
Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Hospital exemplified philanthropic leadership through close collaboration with the NORTH Foundation, open communication and shared participation in events that connected donors with the hospital’s most pressing needs, reflecting a genuine spirit of partnership across the facility.
Legacy of Impact Award – Estate of the late Alexandria Phirros
Alexandria Phirros left a gift in her Will that has been truly transformative and benefitd countless patients. In addition to an advanced surgical robot for Royal North Shore Hospital, Alexandria’s gift funded further equipment for the Burns and Dermatology teams.
The NORTH Foundation also acknowledged a broad cross-section of support driving better outcomes for patients and communities across the district – from emerging philanthropy and long-standing collaborative partnerships to philanthropic leadership that has galvanised campaign momentum and encouraged others to give. Collectively, these awards recognised the people and organisations helping connect donors with researchers and clinicians, underpin successful grant activity, and sustain programs through ongoing annual giving and advocacy.
Several honours also celebrated philanthropy with lasting, tangible impact. They also recognised gifts transforming care through advanced technology and equipment that improves precision, reduces pain, shortens hospital stays and speeds recovery, as well as the extraordinary role of legacy giving and decades of sustained generosity. These contributions are strengthening the health system now and into the future – accelerating research, expanding access to clinical trials, and delivering real-world benefits for public patients.
Mr Lorquet said the awards would become an annual tradition. “Our community is full of people who care deeply about health and about each other. These awards are our way of saying thank you, and of inviting even more people to be part of the next chapter of impact.”
