Spotlight on...

 

Kate Ingram

Kate Ingram has contributed tirelessly to her family and local community over the past 19 years. Her two sons are autistic, developmentally delayed and nonverbal and her passion is supporting them and the structures that are in place to assist them in their daily lives. Kate has given up her career as a hairdresser to focus on this.

Kate is heavily involved in supporting Yarrabah School, a school that caters for students that have mild to severe intellectual disabilities. Her sons have attended Yarrabah and she has been highly motivated to contribute to the school community. She has spent 14 years on the Yarrabah School Council and 11 years involved with fundraising. Her efforts have resulted in doubling the school’s fundraising efforts! Kate also volunteers in Yarrabah’s canteen and is leading the canteen refurbishment project.

Kate extends her community involvement to supporting seniors with a disability. She contributes to and participates in life skills with seniors and volunteers at OC Connections where her eldest son Jarrod attends. While Kate devotes most of her time now to her sons and their schools, she also cuts hair for children who have a phobia of going to the hairdresser.

Kate has represented Yarrabah School at Special Needs Forums with Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria, on three different occasions. She has advocated strongly for before and after school care at Yarrabah and as a result Yarrabah is one of only three schools to be included in a Before and After School Care pilot program. As an advocate for support programs for senior people in our community who live with a disability, she has also lodged her concerns regarding the lack of adult day programs in Victoria with Daniel Andrews.

Kate exemplifies Strength and Kindliness every day, stating that working with children and adults with a disability is the highlight of her week.

Image: Kate and her sons