By BRIDGET COOK
THEY are the innocent, and sometimes overlooked, victims of substance abuse – children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental drug use.
But one organisation is ensuring they get the childhood every kid deserves, including those in the City of Casey who have lost their parents to substance use.
The organisation is the Mirabel Foundation which has just been named as the charity partner for the 2014 Cranbourne GP Run.
Mirable Foundation kinship care manager Nicole Patton said the organisation was thrilled to receive the support from the council and raise the profile of its programs to the Casey community.
“We are thrilled to be the charity partner and be able to pass on the support we give those most vulnerable in the community,” she said.
“We have a large population of our children we support living in the City of Casey and run a lot of programs in the area.”
Mirabel is driven by the core belief that every child deserves a childhood.
It is the only organisation in Australia dedicated to helping children who have been left behind due to drug abuse in their family.
Children without family may find themselves in foster care or in the care of extended family (kinship care), usually with elderly grandparents who have little or no financial or personal support.
Mirabel is determined to provide these children with all the emotional and practical support they need to have the most normal childhood possible.
Ms Patton said the organisation ran a number of its programs in Casey to support children and carers locally.
“We run weekly therapeutic groups for children in Casey, with both boys and girls groups,” she said.
“Children come together and they are able to be with children from the same background and share their experiences.
“They can talk openly in a safe environment about their past and the issues they are facing.
“We also have a lot of recreation programs in the area as often children who have been through this feel quite isolated.
“We also have a kinship carers’ support group in Casey for grandparents, or other relatives, where they can meet others in the same situation as themselves.
“We give them parenting support, counselling and advice.”
City of Casey Mayor Geoff Ablett said the council was thrilled to announce Mirabel as the charity partner for the Cranbourne GP Run.
“Drugs continue to destroy families across the nation, including here in Casey, and it is critical that support is available to these innocent victims, some of the youngest people in our communities,” he said.
“Mirabel aims to help these vulnerable children reach their full potential as adults and break the ravaging cycle of drug abuse.
“With drugs impacting the lives of so many people, often so close to home, we are pleased the Mirabel Foundation has been named this year’s preferred charity.
“It is also fitting as year’s GP Run celebrity, actor Shane Jacobson, is a patron of the Mirabel Foundation.”
On the day of the GP run, Saturday 18 October, members of the community will be able to contribute a gold coin donation to Mirabel.
For more information about the event visit www.casey.vic.gov.au/gprun.
To find out more about Mirabel visit www.mirabelfoundation.org.au.
