Narrabri founder of the Friendly Faces Helping Hands foundation, Kelly Foran has recruited the support of senior politicians to strengthen her foundation and ability to help others.
Assistant Federal Minister for Health, Fiona Nash, and Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, each agreed to help the foundation reach a target of 700 Friendly Face Supporters this year and committed to donate $10 a month.
Friendly Faces Helping Hands offers 24 hour assistance to regional Australians in times of trauma and helps navigate the many challenges of accessing healthcare outside the community.
After fours years of running as a voluntary organisation and seeking government funding, Kelly is now exploring other avenues with the launch of 700 Friendly Face Supporters donation program.
She’s calling on local residents to consider donating $10 per month to Friend Faces Helping Hands, a fraction of the amount an average person might spend on coffee over the course of four weeks.
“Whether challenges are logistical, financial, trauma-related or a general cry for help, it is very important that this foundation continues,” Kelly said.
“If you can support the foundation by giving up one cup of coffee a week, then your $5 can ensure that people are supported and many lives are saved.
“Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, has been a terrific friend to the foundation and it was with his support that we met with Fiona.
“We are hoping that together we can take the challenge to our region and make the dream, of ongoing sustainable help, a reality.”
Many local people will be aware of Kelly Foran’s amazing story.
She was diagnosed with a brain tumour just prior to giving birth to her son, who was born with hyper insulin anaemia, jaundice and a hole in his lung. Kelly then went on to be diagnosed with diabetes, suffer a mild stroke, contract meningitis on the brain and was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.
Kelly’s son went on to develop a cancerous eye tumour, resulting in his eye being surgically removed. Kelly says she learned important lessons from her experience and has vowed to change the health care journey for others.
“It can be so hard to get treatment that many will decide to stay at home and refuse treatment until the medical prognosis becomes critical, greatly reducing the impact of effective treatment,” she said.
“The experience can also be financially crippling and can impact on a family for many, many years.”
Kelly launched the Friendly Faces Helping Hands Foundation four years ago and has since touched the lives of hundreds of regional Australians.
She assists with travel plans, finding accommodation, enabling communication with families, and by linking them up with appropriate service providers.
In addition to this her web site has had over 30,000 hits enabling the sharing of valuable information. Kelly has piles of letters that are testament to the difference her foundation has made. She has the support of a range of political allies including Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, Member for Barwon, Kevin Humpheries, retired Member for New England, Tony Windsor, and Minister for Health and Medical Research, Jillian Skinner.