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About Us

Little Stars Kids runs programs to improve the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect and are living in foster care in Queensland. A volunteer Board of Directors provides a focus on strategy through extensive experience in a variety of fields. We have a team of amazing staff and volunteers who keep our programs running. We are supported by Corporate partnerships with our Gold Partners, Kela Foundation and Keema Children’s Foundation. We also have financial and in kind support from an amazing number of Corporate businesses and individuals including Australian Pacific Aerospace, Keema Automotive Group, Oner Family Law, Mullins Lawyers, the Lyone Foundation and Emu Plumbing. We rely on these donations to continue our work for children in care.

Our Little Stars Kids Camp Program for children aged 4-10 living in long term foster care, is designed to assist in a non-therapeutic setting, to help children who have experienced abuse and neglect and been separated from their primary caregivers, to rebuild self–esteem, build a sense of trust in others and improve their long term mental and physical health prospects. Our program achieves this by providing an environment where the children can grow through fun, laughter and building strong and lasting relationships with members of the Camp community. Little Stars Kids is a registered charity and public benevolent institution.

Meet the Board

Little Stars Kids Board of Directors are all volunteers and are passionate about creating a better life for children living in foster care and have extensive and varied experience across a variety of sectors. Find out more about our Board below:

Lisa Honeychurch

Director

Lisa holds a bachelor of arts with a double major in psychology and a bachelor of law and graduate diploma in employment law. She is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland and has practised as a lawyer for over 20 years. Lisa has experience in advocating for the rights of the child in a litigation role and a non -adversarial role and was nominated as a finalist in the Queensland Community Foundation Emerging Philanthropists Category in 2019 for her work with children who have experienced abuse and neglect. Lisa is passionate about helping children who have experienced abuse and neglect through providing programs which support the emotional, academic and physical sense of wellbeing of children in out of home care in Queensland. Lisa was a partner in mid sized law firm for many years and subsequently ran her own legal practise for several years. She has also sat on several boards and advisory committees pertaining to children and has undergone additional ad hoc training in the area of child protection and trauma and the developing brain. Lisa has a particular interest in improving educational outcomes for children in out of home care and giving children a voice that is currently not heard within the child protection system.

Megan Laraghy

Director

Megan has been an educator in the field of early childhood education for over 26 years. She is currently a teacher at Lady Gowrie Love Street Community Kindergarten. In 2014, the Queensland University of Technology acknowledged her for excellence in Mentoring Early Childhood Pre-service Teachers.

As teacher-researcher, Megan takes on an active role in researching relationships, friendships and the role of the teacher in the early learning environment. She has presented at the Lady Gowrie Conference, speaker at Gowrie Symposium, and was a key note speaker for the Jean Ferguson Memorial Lecture at Queensland University of Technology.

Megan has a particular interest in the role of trauma in the developing brain and early attachment. Megan also takes an active role in the Camp program and has been involved with the camp program as volunteer camp leader since 2016.

Katie Taylor

Director

Katie Taylor and her husband have been fostering children for over ten years. In that time they have fostered respite, emergency and long term children. Katie has a passion for caring for kids with special needs and currently has 10 full time children in her care and one part time ranging from 7-16 years of age.

Katie has been involved with Little Stars Kids since it’s inception and is passionate about our programs and the huge impact that both the camp and cuddle cases program have on children living in foster care in Queensland. Katie also volunteers with Queensland Foster and Kinship Care as a delegate and in this role successfully supports and assists other carers to navigate what can be a very challenging system.

Katie brings a wealth of knowledge regarding the needs of foster carers and the needs of children living in foster care to our Board.

Tristan van Riel

Director

Tristan is the Dealer Principal and Chief Operating Officer of the Keema Automotive Group in Queensland which operates over 5 sites across Brisbane and employs around 250 staff.

Tristan has an accounting background and was previously the Chief Financial Officer of the Keema Automotive Group.

Tristan has significant experience in financial matters and developing the strategic direction of the Keema Group.

Tristan is committed to making a difference in the lives of children living in care through the work of the Keema Childrens’ Foundation. He has been a Pyjama Angel with the Pyjama Foundation for several years, working with children in care to increase literacy and numeracy.

Kerrie Taylor

Director

Kerrie has a background in marketing and communications and runs Pollen Communications.

Kerrie combines her bright and creative personality with her formal qualifications in integrated marketing communications producing results with an innovative edge. With more than 15 years’ experience across public relations, events and marketing, Kerrie has built a solid yet diverse clientele across the property, construction, retail, mining, tourism, health and fitness, not-for-profit and luxury product sectors.

A passionate and experienced communicator with a love for writing, Kerrie is passionate about using her skills to assist Little Stars Kids to build its presence to enable it to continue to support children in foster care.

Randall Bryson

Director

Randall is a Director at BDO Australia, an international accountancy firm, and has extensive experience in retail, particularly in the automotive sector but also more broadly with experience in food and beverage retail. His employment with a multi franchise dealership and a national automotive retail chain, as well as 15 years in chartered accounting, provides an excellent platform for specialist professional services. He is able to understand and support his clients with their operational and statutory requirements.

Randall is committed to making a difference in the lives of children living in care through the work of the Little Stars Kids and our Little Stars Kids Camps which provide so much Fun and laughter.

David Brown

Director

David is the General Manager for the Keema Automotive Group in Queensland which operates over 5 sites across Brisbane and employs around 250 staff.

David has a Mechanical Background which lead to him starting with the Keema Automotive Group 18 years ago, and along with many other roles, is directly in charge of Operational matters for the Keema Automotive Group.

David is committed to making a difference in the lives of children living in care through the work of the Little Stars Kids and our Little Stars Kids Camps which provide so much Fun and laughter.

Our Staff

Katie Vaughan

Program Manager

I began working with Little Stars Kids in March 2019 as Program Administrator after having spent 10 years at home, being a Mother to my children. The majority of my working career prior to this had me supporting a successful team of Financial Advisers in the high-pressure world of Mergers and Acquisitions.

Having had such a long break from working, I felt a need to balance my life with caring for my children, running my household, personal health and fitness and something for me. Enter Little Stars Kids! There was no better way to fulfil this need than by using my skills for a charity working at bettering the lives of children in care.

My role is to handle the day-to-day running of our Little Stars Learners Program and Community Engagement Program. It is wonderful to be able to communicate with the carers whose children attend the camps, deal with the volunteers who give up their time to attend camps to support these children and liaise with the many suppliers, supporters and donors that make up the balance of what Little Stars Kids stands for. I am grateful every day that I have such a role in this wonderful charity!

Ana Jeanmonod

Cuddle Cases Manager

I joined Little Stars Kids in 2019 as a volunteer in the camp program and love getting to know and support the children. I studied law in Brazil and hold a Diploma of Community Services in Australia and have a passion for human rights and helping people, particularly the most disadvantaged in society.

Being able to help children in foster care through the LSK Cuddle Cases Program is immensely fulfilling and to see the difference it makes to a child entering care – its huge. These children are so helpless and we owe it to these children to do all we can to help them feel safe and protected.