Do It For Foundation Gippsland, Heyfield (2026)

28/07/2026

Meet Samantha Forte, our Treasurer. 🫧

Sam is a mum of two girls living right here in Gippsland, spending her days juggling appointments for her little people alongside work commitments. Once the kids are in bed, you'll usually find her curled up with a good book, or in the kitchen creating cakes for family and friends.

Through advocating for her own child, and connecting with other local families along the way, Sam has seen firsthand just how hard it can be for carers to access the supports their children need.

She's proud to be part of an organisation like DIFF, one that's raising awareness of these challenges, advocating for meaningful change, and building the kind of supportive networks that carers deserve, after giving so much of themselves to their children every day. 💚

27/07/2026

Introducing our next Carer Recharge winners: Liticia Anne and Matt Liddell 💚

Nominated not once, but three times; by Haydn Fellows (twice!) and Tess Brinsden, Liticia and Matt are about to get a well-earned weekend away.

Here’s what the people who love them had to say:

“They do everything for their boys and even though they take it all in their stride and never bat an eyelid, you can tell it takes a toll. With no family locally and only a few friends they trust to look after their boys, there are only a handful of times they get to spend alone, resting and relaxing. They deserve to be celebrated.”

“Liticia cares 24/7 for her sons and works at the specialist school. She is full of love and kindness and goes above and beyond to make sure everyone feels cared for and has joy in their day. I know how large Tish’s plate of responsibilities is, and she never complains. Every day presents a challenge, and she tackles it with a positive, supportive attitude and makes the most of each day. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving to pamper.”

Liticia and Matt; this one’s for you. Time to switch off, breathe, and just be two people again for a little while. 🫧

Huge thanks to our incredible local businesses who make these rechargers possible, without you, this simply wouldn’t happen. 🙏

Know a carer who deserves the same? Nominations for our next Carer Recharge open soon, follow along so you don’t miss it.

27/07/2026

Meet Bobbie Brown, our Secretary. 🫧

Bobbie’s journey with kids started as a dance assistant, which led her into a career in Early Childhood Education; and even ten years running her own dance studio, sharing her love of movement with children every day

In 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, she and her husband welcomed their first son. Becoming a mum during that time showed her just how important connection really is; for children, families, and whole communities.

Their second son arrived in 2024, bringing even more joy (and energy!) into their home. Bobbie’s heard all the classic lines, “they keep you on your toes,” “you’ve got your hands full”, and it’s true. But watching her boys run, laugh, explore and be loudly, curiously, joyfully themselves reminds her they’re doing exactly what kids are meant to do. She’s incredibly proud to be the one they call Mum.

What Bobbie loves most about DIFF is our commitment to celebrating children for exactly who they are. Every child deserves to feel seen, heard and valued, and she’s excited to help bring that vision to life, creating a space that supports and connects families every step of the way. 💚

26/07/2026

A weekend to simply breathe. 🧡🫧

Our next Carer Recharge is happening in Marlo and this time it is 2 full nights to rest, reset, and remember what it feels like to just be, for the carers who so rarely get the chance to stop.

Nominations close tomorrow at 5pm.

Know a carer who deserves this? Nominate them. Are you the carer who’s been putting everyone else first? Nominate yourself, we mean it.

Huge thanks to our incredible local Marlo businesses who’ve donated to make this happen: The Little Drift, Marlo Hideaway, Snowy River Cycling, and Travel Saunas. 🙏

💛 Calling all East Gippsland businesses, if you’d like to get involved in this Carer Recharge or upcoming ones, (accommodation, experiences, treats, anything!), we’d love to hear from you. This only works because of generous local hearts like yours.

👉 Nominate now: https://gforms.app/frlqrl2

26/07/2026

Meet our newest Board Member. 🫧

Introducing Courtney Lee ; nurse, single mum to three incredible boys, Gippsland local, and someone who found DIFF the exact same way so many of our families do.

She watched a video. And heard her own life described back to her.

Courtney’s son Hamish has been let down by the systems that were supposed to support him. She has fought for his future the way every parent on our bubble wall has fought; relentlessly, often alone, and without nearly enough support. She knows this reality from the inside. Not in theory. Not from a report. From lived experience, late nights and a level of love that doesn’t quit.

She’s also a nurse. Which means she shows up for other people even when she’s carrying her own weight. That tells you everything about who Courtney is.

When she’s not advocating for her family or caring for others, you’ll find her fossicking for vintage treasures and getting creative; which, honestly, also tracks perfectly for someone who keeps finding solutions in a system that keeps saying there aren’t any.

Courtney joins our board because she believes every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and every carer deserves to feel supported. Not as a slogan. As something she has personally fought to prove is possible.

We are so glad you found us, Courtney. And we are so glad you stayed. 💚

A little DIFF. A lot loved. 🫧

25/07/2026

Steve is a father of two boys; Tim who is 7, and Lachie who is 4. Tim is autistic. And it was Tim’s journey, navigating diagnosis and support in regional Gippsland, that brought Steve to this table.

He watched firsthand how hard it can be to get a child seen, heard and helped when you live rurally. The waitlists. The distance. The systems that weren’t built with families like his in mind. And instead of just living with it, he decided to show up and help change it.

Steve’s goal is simple, he wants DIFF to make it easier for regional families to get their children diagnosed and supported. Full stop.

That’s the kind of board member we want. Not someone who sits in a room and talks about policy. Someone who has lived the reality, knows what the gaps feel like from the inside, and is here to help close them.

Welcome to the board, Steve. Tim and Lachie are lucky to have you. And so are we. 💚

A little DIFF. A lot loved. 🫧

24/07/2026

Meet our Vice President. 🫧

Introducing Krista Websdale , mum to Parker and Murphy, fierce advocate, and the first person who ever reached out to me after I posted about George.

That last part matters. Because before there was a foundation, before there was a bubble wall, before any of this existed, Krista was already doing what she does. Showing up for families who needed to feel less alone.

Krista came to advocacy the same way most of us do. Through her son. Parker is autistic and has ADHD, and navigating the education system in regional Australia opened Krista’s eyes to a reality that so many families on our wall know deeply, that access to the right support, the right understanding, and the right opportunities can depend more on a postcode than a child’s potential.

She has lived the resilience that takes. And she brings every bit of it to this board.

Krista joins us as Vice President with compassion, determination and an unshakeable belief that lasting change happens when we actually listen to the people living these experiences. She believes every regional child deserves the chance to learn, to belong and to succeed, and that geography should never be the thing standing between a child and their potential.

We are so lucky to have her. And honestly, the fact that she found us before we even knew we needed to be found says everything about who she is.

Welcome to the board, Krista. 💚

A little DIFF. A lot loved. 🫧

23/07/2026

Meet Tobi. 🫧

Eight years old. Gippsland. Currently in bunny ears, holding his Easter bucket, and absolutely thriving.

Tobi was diagnosed with Level 2 autism in Grade 1, but like so many families on our wall, the road to get there wasn’t straightforward. His parents had been quietly watching, quietly wondering, while putting much of their energy into advocating for his brother through an ADHD diagnosis. It wasn’t until kinder that the pieces began to fall into place.

Autism can be an invisible disability. And that invisibility is its own challenge. People see a boy who can talk, who smiles, who holds a bucket of Easter eggs with the biggest grin you’ve ever seen, and they assume the rest must come just as easily. It doesn’t always.

What they don’t see is how much extra energy it takes. The eye contact that doesn’t come naturally. The extra time needed to process. The back-and-forth conversations that require real effort. The moments where sport or group activities feel harder than they look.

But what they also don’t see, and what his family sees every single day, is who Tobi actually is.

Imaginative. Curious. Full of joy. The cuddliest, kindest, most thoughtful little human. Obsessed with Lego, magnets, water play, playdough, sandpits, and getting completely and happily lost in his own creative worlds. So incredibly smart.

Imaginative. Curious. Full of joy. The cuddliest, kindest, most thoughtful little human. Obsessed with Lego, magnets, water play, playdough, sandpits, and getting completely and happily lost in his own creative worlds. So incredibly smart.

Now in Grade 2, he’s starting to notice some things don’t come as easily to him as they do to others. That awareness can be hard to watch. But his parents are right beside him every step of the way, learning, growing and advocating together.

His family said something that I want to leave here exactly as they wrote it:

“Different doesn’t mean less. It just means different, and he is perfect exactly as he is.” 💙

We think so too, Tobi. Welcome to the wall. 🫧

A little DIFF. A lot loved.

22/07/2026

Meet Eden. 🫧

Four years old. Latrobe Valley. On her scooter. In her Paw Patrol boots. And completely in her element.

Eden is energetic, kind, incredibly smart and full of potential. She has a beautiful heart and a personality that fills every room she enters. She loves playground adventures, music, Bluey, her routines, and her special Bun Bun.

Eden lives with Autism, ADHD, ARFID and Sensory Processing Disorder. Which means the world can sometimes feel a lot. Sounds are louder. Feelings are bigger. Changes are harder. The things that seem simple to others can take a little more energy from her. Routine and structure are her safe place, knowing what to expect helps her feel secure.

But every single challenge she faces is met with strength, courage and resilience. Every single time.

Her family wrote something that stopped me completely and I want to share it exactly as they said it:

“We will remind her that she never needs to change who she is to fit into a world that wasn’t designed for her.”

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

Eden reminds us every day that there is no one right way to experience the world. And this community is so glad she’s in it. 💚

We see you, Eden. 🫧

A little DIFF. A lot loved.

21/07/2026

We’re heading to Marlo. 🫧

Our next Carer Recharge is coming, and we are SO excited to announce that the beautiful The Little Drift has come on board as our accommodation partner.

If you haven’t seen The Little Drift, go and look right now. It’s exactly the kind of place you give someone when you want them to feel like they truly matter.

Now we need your help.

We are on the hunt for incredible local businesses around Marlo and the Snowy River region to help us give one very deserving carer and their plus one a full experience of this stunning part of Gippsland.

Restaurants. Experiences. Wineries. Tours. Anything that says welcome, we’ve got you.

👇 Drop your suggestions in the comments below, who would you love to see jump on board for this one? And if you’re a local business who wants to be part of something really special, slide into our DMs.

Let’s show this carer what Marlo is made of. 💚

A little DIFF. A lot loved. 🫧

Do It For Foundation Gippsland

28/07/2026

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27/07/2026

26/07/2026

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25/07/2026

24/07/2026

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22/07/2026

21/07/2026

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