Providing More Free Support to Disadvantaged Kids and Families across Queensland
It’s been another year of growth at BUSHkids and I’m delighted to say that thanks to your support and our hard work we’ve been able to help many more kids and families across rural, remote and regional Queensland.
While the greatest area of growth and development has been in partnership with the NDIS with the launch of our Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) services in Rockhampton, Gladstone and Emerald and the expansion of our ECEI services across Wide Bay-Burnett and the Sunshine Coast, we continue to grow our other services. Working in collaboration with the School of Distance Learning we are now bringing eKindy—a comprehensive ‘at home’ kindergarten program for pre-school children—to 63 kids living in rural and remote parts of the State and this year we have also provided more free education and parenting programs for families than ever before. However, it is the allied health services provided through our regional centre’s remain at the heart of BUSHkids and I am most delighted that we have been able to strengthen this area by using our growing telehealth capability to provide our services in remote areas where therapists aren’t available.
Throughout the year I have spent a lot of time visiting our regional centres, talking to stakeholders and promoting the organisation. During these visits I am always taken by the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff.
On a recent trip, our speech pathologist in Warwick, Yolanda, told me about a little girl with developmental delay called Carly[1] she was supporting, and how small things can make the world of difference to a family. Yolanda and our OT have been working with Carly’s mum to help this little girl who was unable to talk. Yolanda told me how supportive Carly’s mum was of her daughter and how watching her progress and seeing her mum interact with Carly was so rewarding. Over the weeks working together Carly increasingly gave her mother eye contact, which was so important to her mum. It’s simple things like that—helping a mother look into her daughter’s eyes and see the love there—that has such a positive impact on the families we work with.
It’s thanks to your support that we can make such a massive difference to the lives of families and kids like Carly. Any gift of $2 or more which you can give is tax deductable and will help us to continue providing our free services. You can give online by going to our website bushkids.org.au and clicking on the ‘Donate’ button.
[1] Personal information about both this mother and child have been changed to protect their privacy.
On behalf of all of us at BUSHkids I would like to thank you for your continued support and wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous 2019!
Chief Executive Officer
