Episode 84 - Founding Director - The Carers Foundation Australia, Ronnie Benbow
In this episode of The Jane Anderson Show, I'm so thrilled to interview one of the exceptional women I know, Ronnie Benbow. Ronnie has always had a burning passion for providing a safe, nurturing, healing centre to rejuvenate and educate unpaid family carers experiencing extreme stress and exhaustion.
Ronnie is particularly passionate about young children who care since they usually have no choice and receive very little support. Most people do not even realise there are children, often as young as eight years old, in caring roles.
Having a background in health and experiencing her own family caring circumstances, Ronnie knows professionally and personally the relentless demands and debilitating stress that family carers endure daily.
Prior to establishing the charity, Ronnie, with the support of her husband Michael, was personally funding carer wellbeing programs for 15 years.
In 2015, following the passing of her beloved father, Ronnie established The Carers Foundation Australia in honour of her parents to fulfil her dream of caring for carers.
The purpose of the foundation is to provide preventative well-being programs to support the emotional, physical and mental well-being of carers, with the aim of preventing health crisis breakdowns.
Ronnie is fully committed to raising awareness and the importance of supporting unpaid family carers in our communities. She has worked tirelessly to provide a voice for this often-overlooked sector.
At the same time, she works to attract funds through donations, grants, fundraisers, and corporate partnerships since the charity is not government funded.
To this date, The Carers Foundation Australia is the only charity that provides wellbeing programs to support Carers FROM 12 YEARS OLD - at NO COST to them; of which Ronnie intends to expand nationally.
Because of her dedication, Ronnie has been recognised and has received numerous awards, including a finalist in the Australian of the Year and awarded the Moreton Bay Citizen on the Year in 2021, and more recently, the 2022 Brisbane in Women Awards for Community Justice and the 2023 Heart of Women award for Making a Difference.
