Our Team, Our Angels
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — Audrey Hepburn
Elizabeth,
Founder/National Co-ordinator
Lisa
Accounts Administrator
& Committee Member
Hi my name is Lisa. I first came across the Feeling Fab organisation through the amazing Suzy H, ambassador for Feeling Fab, whom I am related to by marriage. I didn't hesitate to put my hand up to volunteer for the position of Accounts Administrator. Being an accountant by trade, having been involved in a non-profit organisation before, and having experienced grief, I knew Feeling Fab would be an organisation I would be passionate about. I was part of a small team who formed the Bronchiectasis Foundation. I had experienced grief when my daughter was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis, and again when the founder of the Bronchiectasis Foundation, Esther-Jordan Muriwai, passed away. I volunteered as the Bronchiectasis Support Co-ordinator for Northland for many years, which involved running a pamper day for the parents of children with Bronchiectasis and supporting and empowering these parents with knowledge of support services and information about Bronchiectasis. These experiences ignited my passion for volunteering to support people experiencing grief. I have been part of the Feeling Fab family for about a year, and I am honoured to be volunteering alongside some amazing ladies who are very passionate about the work that Feeling Fab does too. Alongside my volunteer work I am a full-time Accountant, wife, mum to three, step-mum to three, and we have a rescue dog and a rescue cat.
Hayley
Volunteers Co-ordinator (incoming)
& Committee Member
I joined the Feeling Fab family in late 2024 after seeing a volunteering opportunity posted online. I thought it would be a great way to make a positive impact in the community. I have a background in psychology and support work and am passionate about helping people.
Lynda,
Catering Co-ordinator
& Committee Member
Hi there, my association with Feeling Fab began approximately seven years ago. I was nominated to attend a Pamper Day as I had lost a 50+ year friendship of a close friend and family member. The grief and feeling lonely was distressing. Being extremely nervous about attending on the day, not knowing a single person I arrived at the door and turned around to walk back to my car. As Liz was expecting me she saw this, she called to me and came running with arms wide open to give me the best hug I had had in a long time. On the day, I met some amazing women with difficult situations living with pain from terminal illness, loss of their life partner, bereavement, traumas and grief. The many changes in people’s lives can cause many different types of grief and I realised that actually my grief was important to me, but compared with others I was blessed in many other ways. After the day I was so grateful for such a positive loving experience I offered to become a volunteer, which is often how our amazing volunteers come on board with Feeling Fab. I offered to provide some catering for the Volunteer’s Christmas get-together soon after and pretty much became a committee member and the Catering Co-ordinator and I continue in this role today. Ladies like me come to a Wellness Day mostly feeling a little out of their comfort zone, however, they soon relax under the care of our volunteers who shower them with fresh makeup, a hand massage, a hairdo, some lovely food kindness and they love to feel safe. By the end of the day, these ladies are absolutely glowing. As a volunteer to see this happening under our care is the most rewarding experience knowing we have made a difference to someone’s life. That Pamper Day changed my life so very much. It gave me hope, joy and new long-lasting friendships. I am very proud to be a part of this incredible group of women who make such a difference in our community.
Shereena
Funding Administrator
& Committee Member
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Shereena has been working with Feeling Fab Foundation since 2013 in and around nursing her Mum through cancer. Elizabeth and Shereena first meet in 2012 when they both attended a Remembrance Day for Road Crash Victims in Orewa. There was an instant connection with what both ladies had been thru losing a loved one – Shereena’s eldest daughter was lost in 2011 in a car accident. Elizabeth and Shereena have been firm friends ever since meeting at the Remembrance Day – Elizabeth shared not only her personal story but of how she wanted to make a change and support others like them going through grief and trauma, and both felt that they have something to offer in love, support and understanding of this and so when Elizabeth started Feeling Fab Foundation Wellness Day’s, Shereena came along as a Qualified Nail Technician of 22 years. Shereena joined the team and worked it around her three young teen children, nursing her mum until her passing, helping when able transporting animals and doing charity work with several groups. Shereena also helps with other entities and has held many positions; Secretary, President, Vice President, Funding Co-ordinator, Committee member, Examiner, coaching at Pony Club not only at a grassroots level but also higher up at District and Area Level as well as running her own business, along with supporting other businesses with website’s, digital media etc. Along with this, she has her own horses, dogs, cats, goat and chickens. Shereena also uses her animals for therapy with youths at risk as she is also a specialist caregiver. She says the animals are amazing and so healing. Shereena brings one of her dogs Eleshia along to the Feeling Fab Wellness Days as support for the people who attend. She is a very special dog and picks up on what’s needed, sometimes it’s just to let people pat her and other times it’s to let them hug her – a few have gotten a surprise as Eleshia hugs like a human with both arms and paws wrapped around you. But Shereena’s heart has always been to help Elizabeth and so the time is now right with her own children being adults and with being a specialist caregiver to youths at risk helping and supporting the Feeling Fab Foundation team is something she has time to do. Shereena loves working with the team at Feeling Fab Foundation, she says it’s wonderful to know we all have each other for support and that we all have so much to give at the Wellness Days and are able to support and help others in their time of need – we all build each other up and support those that need it. Shereena hopes to be able to support Elizabeth and the team for many years to come and to keep building the dream that Elizabeth has of doing this nationally in other areas of New Zealand.
Bee,
Administrative Co-ordinator & Committee Member
I have been involved with Feeling Fab since 2019, and was introduced to Liz, the Founder and CEO of Feeling Fab, by Vicki (owner of Love to Give Gift Boxes) who at the time was also volunteering her time to help Feeling Fab. At the time, I was working four days a week and thought I could spare a few hours on my day off to help with ‘a little bit of typing.’ This has since morphed into quite a few more hours assisting Liz with all things administrative within the Feeling Fab organisation. I enjoy the culture of caring, kindness and empathy that is at the core of the Feeling Fab programme and Wellness Days and I am blessed to work with the amazing team of volunteers, all who contribute in lots of different ways. I lost my Mum to cancer in 2016, so I understands that grief doesn’t go away, and having a space to talk about and share your grief, which is what the Wellness Days provide, is invaluable.
Michelle
Volunteers Co-ordinator (outgoing)
& Committee Member
Michelle has been working with Feeling Fab Foundation for six years; her journey beginning with Feeling Fab in 2014 where she worked as Receptionist for Waste Management in Dairy Flat. Part of that role was to perform Secretarial and Treasurer duties for the Dairy Flat Community Trust. It was through these duties that she first met Liz, who was at the time accepting a funding cheque for her charity at Dairy Flat Community Trust presentations ceremony. Michelle learned Feeling Fab was in dire need of a replacement venue to hold their Wellness Days in the local area. So together with Liz they were successful in securing the Waste Management facilities for the Feeling Fab's Wellness Days. Michelle oversaw the opening of the facilities on these days and helped with set up and catering. Moving further north to Matakana eventually in 2018 began to help with the Warkworth Wellness Days at Tui House for Hospice nominees. It was around then that Liz asked her to fill in the much needed position of Funding Applications Administrator and then eventually the position of Co-ordinator for the Warkworth Area Wellness days. Michelle felt she personally did not have a lot to do with grief other than in her volunteer role. Then three years ago her mother, who lived in Perth, was diagnosed with bowel cancer and unfortunately passed away the following year. Michelle has said her volunteer work she does for Feeling Fab has definitely helped her through these crazy last few years and has said it is hard to describe how much of a pleasure it is working with such a great bunch of volunteers who give up their own time and abilities to help so many others in need. She hopes to continue assisting Liz and the Feeling Fab for a great many more years to come.
Urs Steck
Website Co-ordinator & IT Guru
Jo
Area Co-ordinator Wellington
Donice
Area Co-ordinator Dargaville
I got involved with Feeling Fab in 2022. The lovely ladies from Auckland ventured into Dargaville to put on a Wellness Day. I volunteered in the kitchen as I have restaurant experience. What I experienced as a volunteer was incredible and so rewarding. Fifteen ladies showed up, looking haggard, not speaking to each other and filling out forms. By the end of the day, these ladies were all made up, posing for pictures, giggling and laughing like schoolgirls. I felt so good at the end of the day, I wanted to do it again. Two months later, my husband and I bought a motorhome and decided to tour New Zealand. When Michelle from Feeling Fab approached me about taking on the Dargaville "Area Co-ordinator's" position, I said that we had just bought a motorhome and did not want to commit. Two years into retirement, I questioned my "purpose" in life and the answer came, "Making others feel good about themselves." I contacted Liz and took on this, oh so wonderful, role and have had the time of my life serving others, ever since.
Suzy H
Ambassador
I’m Suzy Heazlewood. I’ve been an Ambassador for Feeling Fab for seven years now. I also have an antibullying online forum called Suzy H Child Advocate Antibullying Foundation. The Feeling Fab ethos really resonated with me. Especially supporting those who may feel alone in their grief. I’ve known amazing Lizzy for 32 years, so I knew her story and was delighted to be on board. What I love about the Feeling Fab concept is the fact that it is creating a safe and warm environment for women and men to come along and share their stories (if they choose to) or just sit, relax and enjoy the amazing services provided to help them feel brighter on their journey through grief. Everyone has a story and everyone’s story is unique to them. I also support by donating all proceeds of Suzy H 100% Pure Rosehip oil to Feeling Fab, by donating Suzy H products for use on the day, interviewing angels (volunteers) and guests about their experiences, if they are keen to, and spreading the word through the other events I am involved in. It’s a wonderful win-win situation, we all come away literally ‘Feeling Fab’ and uplifted. I’m very proud to be a part of this wonderful initiative. Love Suzy ❤️
Tracey-Maree
Ambassador
Kia Ora, I am a proud and honoured Ambassador for Feeling Fab Foundation. Feeling Fab are like no other organisation or charity I have ever come across. Their abundance of ‘Aroha’ for everyone shines through each of the volunteers, whom I call ‘Angels’. The Wellness Days hosted by Feeling Fab bring so much hope and comfort to so many souls, not to mention the ‘joy of being pampered’! My own journey leading up to becoming involved with Feeling Fab is I am a ‘burn survivor’, from a near fatal accident I had as a mere six month old baby. I have ‘MS’ and was recently diagnosed with ‘Stage 3 Meniere’s Disease’. I’m Māmā to a special needs lad and two beautiful wāhine Māmā’s and I have seven mokos and I am wife and partner to an incredible tāne. I proudly took in the role of Chairman for a charitable trust in 2023 and Convenor of a nationwide Country Music Award and are so proud that our Committee have chosen Feeling Fab as one of two charities the Tauranga Whetū Star Awards will make a Koha/Donation to in 2024. I quite simply believe in the ‘mana and mantra’ of the Feeling Fab Foundation ‘200%’, and I will do all I can to support this unique and giving Foundation. Ngā mihi and Arohanui
Mentored by
Gaelene Adams Love
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