Tamara Charlton: Family and doing what it takes
“I realised that I’m not in this world to make money for other people. I’m in this world to help people who are doing it tough.”
Cath Bartolo: Like a family…a very big family.
“By being at YFS for a long time, I was privileged to see the changes that occurred in our clients’ lives over many years. They would return to YFS to tell us about their employment, their homes, and their children’s education – a result of YFS’ influence in their lives.”
Rangi: Kicking goals, creating change
“You can’t change someone, they have to want it for themself. [But] you can speak truth to them, check in on them.”
Philip Beresford: A commitment to morality
“YFS is making such a difference to the community that I live in that it encourages me to keep giving and try to make it more effective to achieve [even] more for more people.”
Casey: Finding financial freedom
"Financial literacy is everything. Our system, our whole society runs on a financial system and if you don't know how to use that system, then you become downtrodden."
Maria Leebeek: Community connections for hopeful futures
“The strength of YFS is in the relationships it has with people, the trust that the community has in the organisation, and the organisation’s ability to work together to make change because lasting change only happens through those processes.”
Jodie: Love, laughter, and reconnecting with family
“My girls have seen me bounce back, with a bit of support. [My YFS worker], she really had my back. She guided me and had a huge impact.”
Meegan: Growing a skilled, steadfast team
“Seeing colleagues and staff members evolve in their professional development – it is really satisfying, such a win-win scenario.”
Samantha Barnett: Christmas Elf
“I don’t ever want a child to feel isolated and different because they can’t access the same things as other kids…these kids are our future and I want all of them to know the world is full of love and opportunity.”
Judith Hunter: Compassion in lifelong learning
“I think the thing that always amazed me was how resilient the people that we were supporting were. They’d get up and try again when things went wrong, they'd find ways to make things work, and with our help they could find really positive, effective ways.”