Sale-based charity A Better Life for Foster Kids has been named a Nectre Regional Service Award finalist in the 2023 Victorian Community Achievement Awards.
The Victorian Community Achievement Awards encourage, acknowledge and reward the valuable contributions that individuals, communities and businesses are making throughout the state, recognising their success and achievements, which contribute to making Victoria a better place.
In the same week that A Better Life for Foster Kids was named a Nectre Regional Service Award finalist, founder Heather Baird was formally acknowledged for her efforts as a Change Agent on October 11 at the event inducting the 2023 Victorian Women’s Honour Roll recipients.
Heather Baird expressed her gratitude, saying it was a tremendous honour to be named a finalist in this year’s Victorian Community Achievement Awards.
“I am humbled by this acknowledgement and truly appreciate the support of the community to get to this point.”
A Better Life for Foster Kids’ mission is to improve children’s physical, educational, and psycho-social outcomes, preserving their dignity and self-worth and reducing the social stigma associated with out-of-home care.
A Better Life for Foster Kids’ recognition as a finalist is a testament to their outstanding work consistently to address the unmet needs of children in foster and kinship care.
“Our children are incredibly vulnerable, and foster care is often a forgotten cause,” Ms Baird said.
“Children entering emergency out-of-home care is a difficult topic to address, and the cause is vastly under-resourced across the state.
“The essence of this award is about community, and it is local and regional support that enables us to do what we do.
“A Better Life for Foster Kids’ core program, Crisis Cases, provides material goods for that critical first week of care and continues to be greatly needed.”
More than 420 community groups and charities provide A Better Life for Foster Kids with invaluable support.
Without the community support and dedicated help from weekly volunteers, Denise Anderson, Judy Gordyn, Yvonne Baird, Pat McDiarmid, Bernadette Kent, Linda Dervish, Julie Pritchard, Geniene Hall and Margaret Treverton, A Better Life for Foster Kids would not be able to provide much needed Crisis Cases to children in out-of-home care.
“We are so grateful to have such amazing support from the community,” Ms Baird said.
“Any child who receives a Crisis Case knows that someone cares about what they are going through because they took the time to create, or choose and pack items with love.”
Ms Baird has long been advocating for children in out-of-home care. She hopes that by being named a Nectre Regional Service Award finalist in the 2023 Victorian Community Achievement Awards and being recognised as a Change Agent, the work of A Better Life for Foster Kids will gain greater community awareness.
