Kids+ are delighted to announce that the 2024 recipient of the Donna Shaw ‘Spirit of Kids+ Award’ is Stephen Jewson of Jan Juc SLSC.

Each year, Kids+ recognise a member or group in the community who has made a significant voluntary contribution on the foundation. For 2024, that is Stephen Jewson and the volunteers of the Jan Juc SLSC, who, each year, donate their time to support the Kids+ Surf Ed program.

Jewson, who has been part of the Jan Juc SLSC since 1989, has, alongside dedicated volunteers, been instrumental in bringing the Kids+ Surf Ed program to life, making positive impacts on the lives of children and young people with disabilities. The week-long Surf Ed program, which has been running for 8 years, offers an opportunity for children with disabilities to experience the beach, the ocean, time on a surfboard, and even a trip on a jet ski – activities they would typically not experience due to accessibility barriers.

The Kids+ Surf Ed program takes place in January at Fisherman’s Beach, Torquay, and is also supported by the teams at Torquay Angling Club, Torquay Marine Rescue Services, and Go Ride a Wave.

The Award is named after Donna Shaw who was a long-standing Kids+ Director and advocate for young people with disabilities.

The formidable Jake Richardson is the first recipient of the Kids+ education/employment scholarship . The scholarship has helped to provide Jake with two-day a week employment at Bellarine Secondary College for 12 months.. Read Jake’s incredible story below, as told by his mother and biggest fan, Jaime Richardson.

The 2024 Surf Coast Trek is set to break its fundraising records with over 1,200 trekkers signing up for the event held on Saturday 13 April 2024. This is the highest number of participants in its nine-year history.

Enjoying perfect weather conditions, trekkers made their way through the Ironbark Basin, across stunning exposed cliff tops, across long sandy beaches all with sweeping ocean views towards the festival-style finish line at Elephant Walk, Torquay. This year the finish line attracted plenty of local attention, providing food, drinks, music, and kids entertainment which was made even more enticing with the sunshine.

The Surf Coast Trek is the largest fundraising event each year for Kids+ and the Give Where You Live Foundation, supporting the vital services they provide to the Geelong region.

Our Kite Festival is designed to be a fully inclusive, accessible event, where people of all ages, stages, and abilities can come and fly a kite

Kids+ was delighted to hear the news that Sarah Foley, one of the co-founders of Kids+, was awarded an OAM at the recent 2023 Australia Day honours. Sarah is the most deserving of recipients.

Sarah has made an outstanding contribution supporting families and young people across the Greater Geelong region, and to the field of paediatric physiotherapy in general. She has spent the vast majority of her career working with, and alongside, young people with cerebral palsy and their families.

Janine Nichols and Jenny Flanders are awarded the Donna Shaw ‘Spirit of Kids+’ Award for 2022 at the Kids+ End of Year Event in Geelong in December 2022.