The Thomas Kelly Youth Foundation is very close to our hearts. Ralph and Kathy Kelly have lost two treasured sons - Thomas in 2012, the victim of a "one-punch" attach on his first night out in Kings Cross, and Stuart, who took his own life in 2014.
The Kellys, with daughter Maddie, founded the Foundation with the "Take Care" initiative, in honour of Thomas. The "Stay Kind" intitiative honours Stuart and brings a message of conversation and kindness around youth suicide and self-harm.
The annual "Stay Kind" day sees the Parramatta Eels (Stuart's team) and Wests Tigers (Dad Ralph's team) don special jerseys and play for the "Stay Kind" cup.
We kept company with the volunteers who were collecting monies for the foundation but more importantly, sharing the "Stay Kind" message. Wearing our backpacks, they greeted fans on arrival and welcomed the teams back onto the ground following 1/2 time.
It was a great day and we look forward to returning in 2019.