Kelly, Community Fundraising Team Leader
Why Kelly chose to work for Dementia Australia
Kelly joined the charity sector 25 years ago. She was looking for a career that worked around family life. After a brief stint in a corporate company that left her cold, Kelly applied for a job at Dementia Australia. She found the role that suited her down to the ground – it just happened to be different from the one she applied for! That was four years ago, and Kelly loves what she does, the people she does it with, and the cause they all work so hard for.
“I need to believe in what I’m doing. And I genuinely, 100% love my team. I think our fundraising team is awesome!”
Kelly’s role at Dementia Australia
Fearless team leader Kelly and her crew support fundraisers to raise money for Dementia Australia. Some people raise funds by taking part in action events – such as Bridge to Brisbane or Dementia Australia’s Marathon to Remember. Kelly and her team also run the in-celebration program, which makes it easy for people to ask family and friends to donate on their behalf instead of giving them a gift. Other fundraisers host their own community fundraising events. These can be anything from gala balls to the humble sausage sizzle (and everything in between!).
“The best part of my role is knowing that the work I’m personally doing is making a difference to other people.”
Hearing how Dementia Australia has helped people makes Kelly quite emotional. Kelly feels proud to see a tangible result and knows that she and her team's hard work is helping other people. After all, everything that Dementia Australia does to support people impacted by dementia is possible through the money the charity receives. Support such as the Dementia Helpline, counselling groups and memory cafes.
“I think it’s great that people with dementia can get together in a nurturing, non-judgmental environment and be themselves. And it is a huge relief for their families, carers, and partners to have somewhere they can go and feel they belong.”
Kelly’s hopes for the future of dementia
Doing it for other people is at the core of what drives Kelly. That’s why her biggest hope for the future is for her role at Dementia Australia to one day become obsolete.
“My biggest goal is to be unemployed! My ultimate goal is not to be needed because they find a cure for dementia. Until then, though, I’m very proud to work with a great team who genuinely want to be here and make it better for people with dementia.”
