USC donation a boost for baby bundles

Published 12:00pm 17 November 2021

A generous donation from USC Moreton Bay is making life a little easier for vulnerable mums and mums-to-be.

Staff and students at the Petrie campus filled a donation box with baby clothes, nappies and other essential products to donate to A Brave Life, which provides nappy bags to young mums through its Baby Bundle program.

A Brave Life founder Mel Redsell says the items will be given to mothers and mothers-to-be in need, such as teenagers, those affected by domestic violence and homelessness, or those who just need extra help.

“Having these extra products means we can supply them with brand new and good-quality items for their newborn babies,” Mel says.

“It means a mum feels equipped with those immediate essentials.

“She feels like she’s got all those things that she needs for her newborn baby to give her confidence and a head start.”

A helping hand

The Brendale-based charity has delivered more than 800 baby bundles so far this year, working with maternity hospitals, social workers and young parent organisations to identify women, aged up to 25, in need.

Sophie-Jane Adler-Magee, 21, who is now studying Nursing Science at USC Moreton Bay knows only too well the difference support from A Brave Life can make.

Sophie-Jane, who had her daughter at 18, was delighted to receive her baby bundle at 28 weeks and has been impressed with the ongoing support A Brave Life has provided since.

Giving back

Mel says when Sophie-Jane heard about the baby bundle drive she wanted to give back to another young mum, so she donated a swag of new baby products.

“We heard about her incredible donation and connected with her and then she said to us that she wanted to go to university to become a registered nurse, so we offered her support through our mentoring and tutoring program,” Mel says.

Sophie-Jane says she’s grateful for the emotional and practical support offered by A Brave Life.

“They have supported me throughout the past two years by providing a tutor, and Mel has helped me gain my confidence as a student while also being a single mother, as she was in a very similar situation when she was studying to become a Registered Nurse.

“They’ve done so much,” she says.

Head of USC Moreton Bay Professor Karen Becker says staff and students were keen to support A Brave Life because the organisations shared the belief in the power of education to change lives.

“We are proud to have some ABL participants now studying at USC Moreton Bay,” Karen says.

“They remind us that we can all strive to continually learn and grow regardless of the other commitments we have in our lives.”