Manuela Whitford selected as a finalist for National Awards

Announcement posted by zanthii communications 14 Aug 2018

Manuela Whitford, CEO and Founder of Friends With Dignity has been selected as a finalist for the 2018 AusMumpreneur Awards in the category of Making a Difference - Non-Profit.

The AusMumpreneur Awards presented by The AusMumpreneur Network celebrate and recognise Australian Mums in business achieving outstanding success in areas such as business excellence, product development, customer service and digital innovation. The awards are designed to recognise the growing number of women who successfully balance motherhood and business in a way that suits their life and family.

Friends With Dignity is a national not-for-profit organisation providing practical support to men, women & children who have been displaced by domestic and family violence.

Manuela Whitford along with Zoe Scharenguivel, Julia McKenna and their dedicated team of volunteers work with registered referral agencies to transform empty houses into welcoming sanctuaries for people escaping domestic and family violence. Friends with Dignity was formed in 2015 and now has more than 100 volunteers who have helped furnish more than 372 homes for families fleeing violence, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

“We’ve got three programs that we focus on. A sanctuary program which is the setup of the homes once they leave refuge, and that takes about seven days to source everything to furnish the home. If we get an urgent request which could be something like getting new pyjamas… we try and see to it within 24 to 48 hours,” said Ms Whitford.

“We then have a Little Friends program which is specific to children in refuge. That addresses their back to school needs, extracurricular activities, and buying school uniforms. For instance, we had a child that we helped go to a graduation ball by buying their dress. That was really nice to see.”

Manuela was inspired to launch Friends With Dignity after her time working as a nurse in the women’s prison system where she discovered many of the female inmates had “escaped” to prison because they weren’t safe in their own homes.

“Being selected as a finalist means a lot and is a true reflection of the commitment our volunteers have to make a difference to families they will never meet. This acknowledgement displays our value to their team work and the value they offer within their own community,” said Ms Whitford.

Friends With Dignity has overcome challenges as a completely self-funded not-for-profit organisation but has also seen great success in expanding services to Western Australia this year.

It can be challenging to run a successful not-for-profit organisation whilst raising a family and Manuela gives this advice for others thinking about starting their own enterprise: “I’m really blessed in having a great leadership team and a board that knows the direction and my vision, so we work really closely. I can’t be there all the time and do everything. My role is to run the programs, and oversee them, but if I can’t, I’ve got my team backing me up. There will be times when I’m thinking something, and then my directors are already doing it, because we

are on the same level. It’s a great gift to have in a team.”

Read more about the awards at www.ausmumpreneur.com. The winners of the 2018 AusMumpreneur Awards will be announced at an Awards dinner at White Night Receptions in Melbourne on Friday, 31st of August, 2018.

For more information on the AusMumpreneur Awards visit: www.ausmumpreneur.com or contact Peace Mitchell on 0431 615 107 or awards@ausmumpreneur.com

For more information about Friends With Dignity, please visit: http://www.friendswithdignity.org.au

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