While I get to spend every day with people who fill me with love, belly laughs and happy moments just like this one in Hawaii last year . But there are some families who aren’t so fortunate. Some children don’t get to feel safe at night. Many children experience sexual abuse and neglect. Child abuse is often invisible. Which is why I love supporting Barnardos Australia, @barnardos_au , an organisation close to my heart, which has been keeping children protected for over 25 years. They share my belief that EVERY child deserves to feel safe, nurtured and protected, especially at Christmas time.
I have been so proud, thrilled and honoured to be on board as an ambassador for the wonderful @barnardosmotheroftheyear – an outstanding organisation. I’ve been lucky enough to see close hand the incredible things these mums do within our community to help kids in need and over the years got to meet some of the special mums who went above and beyond.
Over my time with Barnardos I had the privilege and pleasure of getting to know the Barnardos Mother of the Year finalists from each state and their gorgeous nominators personally. Each story was unique and powerful, with one mum fostering 90 children over the years and others raising children despite strokes or raising children with severe disabilities and pushing the boundaries for services for all through their sheer determination to give their loved ones a quality life. Others simply had an open door policy or a dinner table where dozens were welcomed each night and some were prompted by a desire to simply let their children never go through what they had.
But they all had one thing in common – complete and utter selflessness and the belief that every child deserves to be nurtured and protected. As National winner Nolene Lever, the owner of the biggest heart I have possibly ever met, said: “love doesn’t cost”.
So to all the unsung heroes out there – the mums, step mums, Foster mums, adoptive mums, mums working in domestic violence shelters and child cares and gran mums raising their grandchildren – and the big sisters raising their siblings – I salute you and wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day. Ps you can donate here.
