Australian of the Year Awards

Ann Joan George is determined to make foster children feel special. She leads a team of volunteers who provide kits to foster children to give them a sense of security. Under the name Project Love and Care, the kits include clothing, basic items for personal hygiene, toys and activities. Ann has experienced firsthand how difficult it is for children who have been taken into the care of the state to make the transition from home life to foster care. They are lost, lonely and afraid and often arrive with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Over the last four years Ann has often worked long days to help more than 13,500 children and now has 300 volunteers across Australia. Ann demonstrates that kindness and a little bit of love goes a long way.