Profile: Hope Vale Local Coordinator – Samantha Foster
Samantha Foster is the Family Responsibilities Commission’s Hope Vale Local Coordinator and has been working in the community of Hope Vale since August 2015. Originally employed as an Administration Officer (Case Management) in the Cairns registry, Sam expressed interest in travelling out to the communities. She was able to travel to Aurukun, Mossman Gorge and Hope Vale to ‘learn the ropes’ and assist with conferencing in community. When the Hope Vale Local Coordinator position became available Sam jumped at the opportunity and after working in a relief capacity for a few months was thrilled to be offered the role with the full support of the Hope Vale Local Commissioners.
Sam was born in Cairns, Queensland, and apart from a short stint in Brisbane for two years and her recent move to Hope Vale and then Cooktown, has lived in Cairns her entire life. After graduating high school she worked for many years in the retail and customer service industry. Seeking to gain work experience outside of the retail industry, Sam completed a Certificate IV in Mental Health which enabled her to gain a role with an organisation tasked with arranging respite for carers in Cairns and throughout the Cape. This position provided the opportunity for travel to different communities to assist in delivering dementia education to community members, and to educate carers on self-care and the importance of respite. The role, which saw her working in a day respite facility and working with people towards the end of their life, prompted a major mindset and lifestyle change in Sam. It was at this time she decided to take control of her life and take better care of herself. After losing 60 kilograms she feels like a new person and has a passion for health, fitness and overall wellness.
Sam loves playing Australian Football League (AFL) and her team won the AFL Cairns Women’s League Premiership in 2015. She also completed her first half marathon last year and plans to complete her first marathon at the end of 2016.
Sam’s passion for working with people and enriching the lives of others is what led her to the role of Local Coordinator in Hope Vale where she hopes to motivate others to live life to their full potential. She feels that engaging the youth within the community and assisting them to understand how what they eat can affect them, and to take charge of what they put into their bodies is very important. It is Sam’s goal to see community run events based around active living and healthy food choices being held in Hope Vale before the end of the year.