LIGHT A LANTERN FOR PREMATURE BABIES
Take 8000 steps per day this Chinese New Year to bring light, hope and good fortune to premature babies
Fundraise and see your lantern lit on our Wall of Hope & Good Fortune
Kristy Manuel just donated $54.12- Kahla Chettle just donated $9.48
Gary Trenaman just donated $2- Gary just donated $2
Gary Trenaman just donated $2- Gary Test1 just donated $2
Ashley White just donated $22.58
Goodstack Impact Foundation just donated $50
Macquarie Bank just donated $21,429
RACV just donated $460- Robyn Valentine just donated $64.67
- Kate Glazebrook just donated $211
Anonymous just donated $14.43
Franca and Paulo just donated $106.12
Anonymous just donated $64.67- Cathy just donated $33.15
Millie Gibson just donated $5- Laile Honess just donated $50
- Hannah just donated $64.67
- Gian Callegaro just donated $119.47
HOW IT WORKS
Register
Sign up and create your free fundraising page.
You’ll receive your personal link, step tracking, and lantern badge dashboard, where your progress and donations are displayed.
Walk
Walk 8,000 steps each day for 16 days between 17 February and 3 March 2026.
Each day you complete your 8,000-step goal, a lantern badge lights up on your page.
Share & Fundraise
You may like to add a message of hope or encouragement to our Wall of Light.
See Your Lantern Displayed
Raise $88 to have your personalised Lantern displayed on our Wall of Hope & Good Fortune.
Raise $888 to have a larger personalised Lantern displayed.
Becoming a proud supporter like Kirk & Crystal is a powerful way to begin the Year of the Horse
“We are proud to support Running for Premature Babies. Seeing families and supporters walk, fundraise, and light lanterns to help provide vital neonatal equipment is truly inspiring.
Knowing that every dollar raised directly supports premature babies and their families is why we’re taking part this Chinese New Year and lighting our own lantern of hope.”
— Kirk & Crystal
YOUR IMPACT
Why your support matters
Each year in Australia, more than 26,000 babies, one in every ten, are born too soon.
Many rely on specialised equipment and neonatal care to survive their earliest days.
Funds raised through Light a Lantern help provide:
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Life-saving neonatal equipment
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Critical support for NICUs nationwide
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Better outcomes for babies and families, wherever they live
Together, we can give premature babies the best possible start in life.
DO IT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Join the Light a Lantern Community
Whether you choose to walk, fundraise, or support a team, you can add extra colour, joy, sparkle, and purpose to your Chinese New Year celebrations by helping light lanterns of love for premature babies.
Taking part with family, friends, or colleagues turns your daily steps into a fun, shared challenge that brings everyone together.
Create and personalise your fundraising page with your group name and photos, then invite others to follow your progress, cheer you on, and help light up your lanterns throughout the season.
Whether you choose to walk, fundraise, or support a team, you can add extra colour, joy, sparkle, and purpose to your Chinese New Year celebrations by helping light lanterns of love for premature babies.
Taking part with family, friends, or colleagues turns your daily steps into a fun, shared challenge that brings everyone together.
Create and personalise your fundraising page with your group name and photos, then invite others to follow your progress, cheer you on, and help light up your lanterns throughout the season.
Track Your Steps with Confidence
Walking for premature babies should be simple, accurate, and stress-free.
When you join the challenge, your personal fundraising page becomes your step tracker and progress hub.
You can record your 8,000 daily steps in two easy ways:
- Connect Strava, Fitbit or Garmin for automatic syncing
- Log your steps manually if you don’t use a fitness app
Your daily steps are displayed on your page and updated throughout the challenge.
IT'S EASY AND FUN TO
Light a Lantern for For Premature Babies
This Chinese New Year, join the 16-day challenge and walk 8,000 steps each day from 17 February to 3 March 2026 to raise funds for premature babies.
When you register, you’ll receive a personal fundraising page where your steps, donations, and achievements are tracked.
Each day you complete 8,000 steps, a lantern badge lights up on your page, showing your daily progress.
As you share your page and raise funds, you work toward key milestones. At $88 and $888 in fundraising, you unlock a personalised lantern on our Wall of Hope & Good Fortune.
By inviting family and friends to support your challenge, you help fund essential neonatal equipment for babies in NICUs across Australia.
Your steps, your fundraising, and your lantern all represent real support for families during their hardest moments.
Your fundraising will help give premature babies a better chance of survival
Every family deserves the opportunity to to take their baby home, ready to thrive.
"Thank you Running for Premature Babies! Without your machines my daughter Charlotte would quite simply not have survived. "
Emilie Smith, mum to Charlotte born weighing 498g
"Our hospitals are in such great need of support, and I get to see first-hand the tangible difference Running for Premature Babies is making in our hospitals, through the life-saving equipment they provide."
Dr Tim Schindler, Neonatologist at the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney
The Running for Premature Babies Story
IN MEMORY OF HENRY, JASPER & EVAN SMITH
Running for Premature Babies was founded by Sophie Smith in 2007 after she and her late husband Ash lost all three of their prematurely born triplets. Henry was born at 21 weeks, too early for medical intervention to save him, and he lived for one precious hour. Jasper and Evan were born at 24 weeks. Huge efforts were made to save their lives but tragically they were unable to overcome their prematurity. Evan lived for ten days and Jasper, pictured here, lived for 58 days.
Running for Premature Babies has to date raised over $12 million, provided over 172 pieces of life saving neonatal equipment and helped save the lives of over 12,250 babies. The Light a Lantern campaign ensures Henry, Jasper & Evan’s legacy lives on.
Your donation will help give premature babies a better chance of survival
Not everyone is able to take part in the 8,000 Steps Challenge. By donating, you help support the walkers and fundraisers who are stepping up for premature babies this Chinese New Year.
Your tax-deductible gift helps power the challenge and provide life-saving neonatal care across Australia.
Each year, more than 26,000 babies, one in every ten, are born too soon. Many rely on specialised equipment in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) to survive.
When you donate, you’re helping fund essential equipment such as humidicribs, ventilators, and resuscitation cots.
Lighting a lantern symbolises health, protection, and good fortune. Your donation becomes a symbolic lantern of hope, standing alongside everyone who takes on this challenge.
Thank you for supporting our walkers, our families, and our tiniest fighters this festive season.
Support the challenge today by making a donation and helping save a baby’s life.
Share
FREQUENT QUESTIONS
Some of our most asked questions
How do I register?
You can register here for the Light a Lantern challenge.
If you’ve previously fundraised with Running for Premature Babies, simply log in using your existing details. If you’re new, you’ll be guided through creating an account, it only takes a few minutes.
Once you’re signed up, you’ll receive your own fundraising page. When this page hits at least $88 from fundraising or self-donations, we'll light your lantern on our Wall of Hope & Good Fortune.
What's the best way to fundraise?
The best way to begin is to upload a photo and personalise your fundraising page. Share why lighting lanterns this Chinese New Year is meaningful to you, and what inspired you to take part.
You may like to make a self-donation yourself to get things started. Then share your fundraising page with friends, family and colleagues via email, text and social media. Don’t forget to tag us @runningforprematurebabies and use #LightALanternForPremmies when sharing.
What is the money being used for?
Funds raised through the Light a Lantern campaign will help provide life-saving neonatal equipment for Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Special Care Nurseries across Australia.
Thank you for helping give premature and critically ill babies a better chance of survival, and for sharing hope with families during this Chinese New Year.
See a full list of equipment provided here.
Please help , because your donation will help save babies' lives
Our girls, Lena (born at 25 weeks) and Tiana (born at 29 weeks), are both thriving thanks to the incredible technology in the NICU. Without it, their lives could have been very different. Please consider donating what you can to help save other babies born too soon.
To anyone going through a NICU journey right now, feeling lost with each setback—hold on to hope. One day, you’ll look back and smile at the strength you found during those hospital days with your little one. It may feel endless in the moment, but before you know it, it will be just a memory in the blink of an eye. Much love, The Tonkins
From a mum of a 33-weeker, it’s scary, it’s overwhelming, and it can feel like your newborn experience has been taken away. But in the end, it’s all worth it. The moment you finally get to take your healthy, strong baby home is the most rewarding experience of your life. My son, Jack, is now a happy, healthy 12-month-old!
Get in touch
Our staff are Lantern lighting experts and we love to help.
Got a question? Get in touch today.
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