NICU, Jenny's Place and Wheelchair Sports among the recipients of Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation grants.

Thanks to the funding, the University of Newcastle’s Out(fit) volunteer group will fit out a playground at local domestic violence refuge, Jenny’s Place. Wheelchair Sports NSW will purchase equipment and provide track access for athletes from Northern NSW, and Life Education NSW will buy a new truck to deliver their preventative education program to disadvantaged young people throughout the region.

The largest grant, of $186,428, was given to the John Hunter Children’s Hospital to install live-streaming cameras to 42 beds in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Director, Dr Paul Craven, said the technology would help parents and families monitor and connect with their newborns.

“The funding will allow parents to dial in 24-hours a day to look at their baby and check they’re doing alright,” Dr Craven said.

Around one in three newborns in NICU come from outside the Hunter and Newcastle area. The Children’s Hospital covers from Wyong in the South, all the way North to the Queensland border and out West past Bourke.

Dr Craven leads the newborn services at Hunter New England Health, and insisted the easy-to-use NICU cameras are expected to be in operation next month.

“If I can use them, they’re easy,” he said.

“Parents and families just have to grab their phone or iPad and log in at any time, using their secure password, and they can even move the camera.”

The latest round of grants put the Charitable Foundation’s total donations above $16 million since it was established in 2003.

$11,000 – Red Gum House Inc: NICU Family Room volunteer program at John Hunter Children's Hospital

$13,200 – The University of Newcastle: Outdoor play space for Jenny's Place Women's and Children's Refuge

$26,000 – Early Links Inclusion Support Service: Therapy room and resource/equipment upgrade

$30,000 – Biala Support Services Inc: Special school playground area upgrade

$30,460 – Wheelchair Sports NSW: Northern Region Track and Road Athletics Program

$41,000 – Sugarvalley Neighbourhood Advancement Group Inc: Community support vehicle

$43,000 – Marathon Health Ltd: Headspace Bathurst enhancement project

$44,000 – Central Coast Kids In Need: Born To Live program supporting disadvantaged families with seriously ill or injured children

$49,313 – Cancer Council NSW: Scalp cooling unit to help prevent hair loss caused through cancer treatment

$61,800 – Royal Institution for Deaf and Blind Children: Precision hearing assessments for Mid-North Coast residents

$65,000 – The Leukaemia Foundation of Australia Limited: Young Bloods support program for young people with blood cancers

$74,800 – Variety the Children's Charity: Wigs for Kids program providing wigs for children with illnesses causing hair loss

$77,000 – Life Education NSW: Delivering preventative health education to disadvantaged children

$77,000 – The Trustee For The Nicholas Butters Trust: One Less Worry, the equipment commitment to families

$186,428 – The United Hospital Auxiliaries of NSW Inc/John Hunter Children’s Hospital: Installation of NICU web cams