A well deserved award
Extended Families is pleased to acknowledge, Thi Duong, President of the Vietnamese Families with Special Needs (VFSN) organisation, was the winner of the Volunteer award at the 2021 Victorian Disability Awards.
The Victorian Disability Awards honour the contributions of Victorians who support, lead, educate and advocate for people with disability. The Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals, teams and organisations that increase the rights and participation of people with disability.
The Volunteer award recognises an individual or group working in a voluntary capacity demonstrating exceptional skill and commitment that significantly contributes to improving outcomes for people with disability.
Extended Families values our partnership with the Vietnamese Families with Special Needs and congratulates Thi Duong on the well-deserved award.
Volunteer award - Thi Duong, Vietnamese Families with Special Needs
As part of her disability advocacy and volunteer outreach, Thi Duong has been President of the Vietnamese Families with Special Needs (VFSN) organisation for more than ten years. Thi is a respected leader and advocate in the Vietnamese community with a strong commitment to supporting people with disability, particularly children and families. Her work has created opportunities for Vietnamese children and young people with disability and their families to reduce isolation and improve community wellbeing, by connecting people experiencing vulnerability to crucial services and supports.
As a refugee herself, Thi brings her lived experience to her community outreach and has worked in refugee camps for the World Relief Organisation. She is now employed as a nurse in a busy emergency department, juggling home life caring for others (including a child with a disability) with volunteer work supporting Vietnamese families to help them care for children with disabilities. She has also led and developed strategic partnerships for the Vietnamese Families with Special Needs organisation to enable the group and its members to thrive.
(Excerpt, 2021 Victorian Disability Awards recipients)
