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Meet Telethon’s first student ambassadors Beenyup Primary School students Stephanie Wakeley and Amito Majok

Kate RyanThe West Australian
VideoSchool girl besties Stephanie Wakeley and Amito Majok are leading the charge in donations as Telethon’s first student ambassadors

Two WA schoolgirls can now call themselves leaders in their community, becoming ambassadors for WA’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

Beenyup Primary School’s Amito Majok and Stephanie Wakeley are Telethon’s first ever student ambassadors, tasked with coming up with fundraising ideas, raising awareness and getting their local community involved in raising money for Telethon.

Stephanie said seeing a family friend go through treatment for a heart condition made her realise how important her role is as a student ambassador, in raising money for facilities and programs that help sick kids.

“It makes me feel a bit proud that I'm one of the lucky 10-year-olds that get to raise the money and get all my community involved,” she said.

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Aged just 10, the pair, who have been best friends since kindy, have already raised more than $600 for Telethon.

They organised for everyone to wear the Telethon blue and red to school for a fundraising day and set up a website for donations.

This weekend, they’ve been invited on stage to interview some of WA’s biggest personalities.

Amito said: “I will be interviewing two people, Tony Galati and Andrew Hagen, and just asking them a couple questions about Telethon. I feel very lucky because not very many 10-year-olds get to have the opportunity that I do.”

Stephanie said: “Feels like very exciting, but I'm really nervous at the same time.”

Telethon Ambassadors Stephanie Wakeley and Amito Majok, both 10.
Camera IconTelethon Ambassadors Stephanie Wakeley and Amito Majok, both 10. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian

Amito and Stephanie were chosen to represent their Byford school — which only opened last year and has just under 200 students — after sending in outstanding application letters.

Deputy principal Cathy Wolfenden said the pair had shown leadership and responsibility beyond their years.

“I'm very proud of them,” she said.

“They've come up with the ideas themselves, they've run, they've talked to all the classes themselves and basically organised everything. They’ve just come into it running.

“And lots of ideas overflowing with ideas, some more practical than others.”

It is hoped Stephanie and Amito will be the first in a long line of student ambassadors.

“When I talked to the children, I was surprised at how many of them knew quite a bit about Telethon ... or had links to people who had been helped by Telethon,” Ms Wolfenden said.

“So what we're aiming to do as well as raising money is raise awareness ... so that children come through our school knowing what Telethon is and what a great cause it is.”

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