The Mirabel Foundation was established in Victoria in 1998. It is the only organisation in Australia specifically addressing the needs of children who have been orphaned or abandoned due to parental drug use.

 

Mirabel's People

 

Many people have been touched by the vision and passion of Mirabel and have helped to make Mirabel the unique and innovative foundation that it is today.

 

Founding Members:

Jane Rowe, Peter Bucci, Donald Mack, Spencer P. Jones, Suzy Walker, Rebecca Barnard, Simon Northeast, Chris Thompson, Melinda Walker, Jay Jordens, Paul Stewart, Michael Pavlich

 

Patrons:

Deborah Conway, Shane Jacobson, Jeff McMullen

 

Ambassadors:

Dr Patch Adams, Rebecca Barnard, Jimmy Barnes, Raimond Gaita, Colin Hay, Rob Hirst, Ella Hooper, Chris Judd, Allison Langdon, Lawrence Mooney, Jane Norris, Lauren Phillips, Mikey Robins, Rhys Wakefield

 

Board of Management:

Ben Dortimer - Chair

Ed Prendergast - Treasurer
Andrew McTrusty

Sandra Eccles

Laura McLachlan

Raj Tapper

Katie Sweatman

Prue Mahar

Lena Hamilton - Secretary

Jane Rowe OAM

 

Staff Team:

Mirabel chooses to maintain a small, highly-skilled team of professionals with a diverse range of experience and education. Each team member is self-motivated, takes initiative and is passionate about the rights of children.

 

Jane Rowe OAM - Founder/CEO

Nicole Patton - Manager Policy, Services & Partnerships

Deb Ambrose - Assistant to CEO

Tina Anderson - Programs Coordinator

Angelina Keskerides - Family Support Coordinator

Vaughn McCarthy - Youth Programs Coordinator

Iman Mansour - Children's Programs Coordinator

Jules Grover - Events & Community Engagement

Juliette Armstrong - Family Support

Cassie Couper - Family Support

Janine Pezzotti - Family Support

Belinda Pearson - Family Support

Miranda Purchase - Family & NDIS Support

Daniel Clohesy - Partnerships & Staff Development 

Isabella Clarke - Youth & Children's Programs

Blair Struthers - Youth & Children's Programs

Amy Nickholds - Youth & Children's Programs

Alan Jackson - Youth & Children's Programs

Amy Palmer - Youth & Children's Programs

Nick Maclaren - Youth & Children's Programs

Kaylene McKay - Education Program

Jane Shelton - NSW Partnerships & Fundraising

Lucy Myers - Hunter Region Coordinator

Sharna Milgate - NSW Family Support

Jackson Fitzpatrick - Alumni & NSW Youth Support

Chloe Rooker - NSW Youth Support

Debbie Dunn - NSW Family Support

Marli Andrew - Data & Program Support

Lena Hamilton - Finance Manager

Ian Kaufmann - Administration & Accounts

Kathy Garoufalis - Resources & Program Support

Amy Nuttall - Reception

 

Casual Staff:

Troy Rogers

Chris Walker

Abby Collison

Jasmine Copeland

Patrick Leask

Kathryn Clarke

Matt Howard

Patrick Wilson

 

Volunteers:

Mirabel is forever grateful to its many volunteers and their commitment and dedication to Mirabel children... 

Mirabel Events: James Rowe - Photographer, STELLA & CO

Artwork & Design: Vince Patton, Mity Digital, Printing Intelligence

 

NSW Steering Committee:

Gary Gerstle, Nic Halley, Hal Herron, Jamie Irving, Simon Jagot, Tim Lovitt, Daren McKennay, John Minto, Kevin O'Hara, Jane Shelton, Carly Westwood

 

Advisory Group:

Suzi Carp, Peter Chiodo, Dan Creasey, John and Bianca White

 

Sydney Ladies Committee: 
Ann Arkins, Trudy Devereux, Stephanie Halliday, Carolyn Scott

 

Melbourne Ladies Committee:

Sally Crinis, Sarah Gale, Laura McLachlan, Sophie Rice

 

Grassroots Sports Club:

Darren Baxter, Daniel Clohesy, Shane Cracknell, Stuart Devlin, Ben Kidney, Rohan Peters, Robert Thorp, Aubrey Roga  

 

Auditors:

HLB Mann Judd

Mirabel's Story

 

Mirabel is an Australian Children's Charity that was established in Victoria in 1998 and extended into New South Wales in 2003. Mirabel is the vision of Jane Rowe, who identified a vulnerable group of children and took action to make a positive difference in their lives. In her work as a drug and alcohol counsellor, Jane witnessed the devastating effects that drug use has on the children of drug users and the cycle of abuse that repeats itself through generations if action is not taken.

 

Jane believed that it was possible to bring about positive change to the lives of these children. Through her insight, passion and experience, she has raised awareness of this vulnerable group of children and in December 1998, with the support of countless individuals, Mirabel was launched with a two-night benefit concert in Melbourne.

 

Since this time, Mirabel has provided vital assistance and support to thousands of children living throughout Victoria and New South Wales.

 

The Mirabel Fable: The Mirabel fable tells the story of a woman who loved and cared for vulnerable and neglected children. Although her resources were scarce, Mirabel never turned a child away. Today Mirabel lives on through the Mirabel Foundation.

Mirabel's Achievements

 

Mirabel is currently supporting over 1,900 children and young people, the most profoundly overlooked casualties of substance abuse in our society.

 

Mirabel’s programs achieve positive results for children and we carefully target and manage our funding to deliver the best outcomes for the most vulnerable children in our community. Mirabel’s effectiveness has been documented in numerous independent evaluations (by Melbourne University, Success Works & Turning Point). The evaluations found that Mirabel excelled in cross-sectoral case management, our intervention stopped the negative cycle of disadvantaged and that for some families, Mirabel’s intervention has been life-changing. In November 2015, Social Ventures Australia completed a Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis on Mirabel’s programs. The analysis found that for every $1 invested in Mirabel, $6.60 of social and economic value was created. It also found evidence that Mirabel’s programs contribute to healthier and happier kinship families, help children to reach their full potential and contribute to breaking the destructive cycle of addiction in just one generation.

 

Mirabel was recognised as an example of best practice by the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) in their report, “Drug Use in the Family: Impacts and Implications for Children”. We were also honoured to be chosen as a finalist for Excellence in Prevention at the 2007 National Drug and Alcohol Awards and were awarded the Victorian Children’s Charities Award in the category of Drug and Alcohol.

 

Mirabel’s CEO, Jane Rowe, is the worthy recipient of the Prime Minister's Centenary Medal, a Human Rights Award, the 2012 Victorian Honour Roll of Women, the 2015 Victorian Local Hero Australian of the Year Award, the 2017 St Michael’s Medallion and the 2019 Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).