I'm sure you are all with me with feelings of disbelief and helplessness watching our citizens, wildlife and countryside endure these horrendous fires. The impact of these fires will be felt for years to come. As a business owner and a human, I wanted to do something to help. I can’t get out and volunteer on the ground but one thing I can do is fundraise. 

For those who don’t know, I was a co-founder of the Miracle Babies Foundation so to me, giving and inspiring others to give is second nature to me. So, I made the choice to donate 100% of all online sales (for 48 hours) to the appeal. 

Living rurally, I couldn’t stop thinking about the farmers that have first suffered a long and devastating drought to now seeing their land, and livestock being obliterated. My goal was $6,500 to buy and transport a truckload of fodder (feed) to farmers in fire-stricken areas.

At times my heart felt so heavy and tears would start to well from the devastation but I was simultaneously INSPIRED. Our nation is at war with the most savage wildfires and alongside the devastation, I see immense resilience, selflessness, generosity and courage.

When I initially shared the campaign, I thought $6,500 was a bit of a stretch. After just 12 hours of sharing, commenting and tagging we reached $10,000! I could not believe it! 

That was more than a truckload of feed, it was enough to fill a massive B-double (truck with two trailers) and I was blown away! And then this amazing tribe of Avarca loving girls showed how truly amazing they are as the tally continued to rise.  

You, my gorgeous customers, collectively raised a staggering $34,059.75 and by gosh I’m so damn bloody proud of our efforts!

I’ve broken down what we donated and to who for those of you who are playing at home. 

DONATIONS 

 

$10,000 to Need for Feed Disaster Relief

So proud to have sent off the first $10,000 to the Need for Feed Disaster Relief which will purchase enough fodder to fill a truck. 

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$10,000 to Wildlife Rescue South Coast Inc + Shoalhaven Bat Clinic and Sanctuary

As a passionate native wildlife lover, I wanted to assist a local grassroots organisation that was providing rescue and rehabilitation in fire-ravaged areas.

The Wildlife Rescue South Coast Inc covering NSW South Coast region from Wollongong to the Victorian border and Shoalhaven Bat Clinic and Sanctuary fitted the bill perfectly.

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$10,000 to BlazeAid

Born from the ashes of Victoria's Black Saturday Bushfires in 2009, BlazeAid helps to restore fencing and farming communities after natural disasters, mobilising an army of volunteers who work alongside landholders.

As at January 14th 2020 there are currently 12 volunteer base camps across NSW, SA & VIC with another opening soon (see list below).

  • Ebor NSW
  • Casino NSW
  • Wingham NSW
  • Macksville NSW
  • Willawarrin NSW
  • Edithburgh SA
  • Nymboida NSW
  • Woodenbong
  • Braidwood NSW
  • Lobethal SA
  • Wauchope NSW
  • Lexton VIC 2020
  • Kangaroo Island SA 2020 - TO BE ADVISED

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$1,500 to Koala Hospital Port Macquarie

We donated $1500 to the Koala Hospital Port Macquarie's campaign to plant koala food trees. 

ONE HUNDRED additional trees will be planted because of your generosity. What a great way to nourish koalas in the future!

The boys and I also adopted Anwen. Anwen was the 3rd burns patient to be admitted from the Lake Innes fire ground, suffering singeing to 90% of her body, radiant burns to her hindquarter and also to the pads on her hands and feet. You too can adopt a koala and encourage you to check out https://www.koalahospital.org.au/adopt-a-koala 

 

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$1,000 to Port Stephens Koalas

Port Stephens Koalas works to save sick and injured koalas. And to be honest, they NEED our help.

I was so moved by their plight that the boys and I adopted Maree who came into care at Port Stephens Koalas in 2017 having been hit by a car and rescued by the NSW State Emergency Services (SES). Unfortunately, the impact caused the loss of her sight and she suffered a frontal lobe brain injury, she has a tendency to do circles to the right when on the ground. We thought Maree would be a perfect fit for us as Caden also has a brain injury and when he was testing out how to drive an electric wheelchair he could only do circles to the left.  

 

 

There is still a little bit of money to be distributed and I'll be sure to keep you updated on where it goes too.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your incredible generosity. I’ll never forget it. 

Nae x x