Samara Welbourne is one of those kind souls who has always felt a pull towards helping others.
The Mountain Creek State High School student has been a volunteer since the age of 12 and first came to the wider community’s attention when she wrote the children’s craft book, How To Make Fairy Houses.
Miss Welbourne went on to raise $20,000 to build a library in Bali, which was completed last year and now provides vital services to 20 villages.
Her tireless work on the campaign saw her named Young Leader at the 2017 Inspirational Women’s Awards.
Despite now tackling the challenging study schedule of Year 12, Miss Welbourne has set off on a completely new journey, fundraising for children’s charity Variety Queensland as an entrant in Miss World Australia.
Variety Queensland improves the lives of children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs by providing life-saving operations, Sunshine Coaches for school children and community groups, equipment for children’s hospitals, incubators, wheelchairs and walking frames, camps for sick and disabled children and more.
Miss Welbourne recently competed in the Miss World preliminary finals and has made it through to the state finals, which will be held in Brisbane in May.
While she admits it has been a huge step from roughing it to help construct the library in Bali to being primped and preened for the Miss World competition, she says it has been a fun experience.
“This is all completely new to me, but what I have enjoyed the most is getting to know the children who receive Variety scholarships. Many of them have disabilities and they have been quite inspirational to me and it has driven my passion to raise as much money for them as I can,” she says.
“I have been working with kids since I started my business, Enchanted Fairy Houses, and it is something I am passionate about. This is why Miss World is the perfect opportunity for me to do something that I love.”
This year is going to be a full one for Miss Welbourne, who will be a baton bearer when the Commonwealth Games baton arrives on the Sunshine Coast and will fly to Silicon Valley in California next month for the international Hackathon event, where she will join students from schools around the world to work through issues facing the travel, health, science and medical industries.
While most Miss World entrants have their eyes fixed on the winner’s crown, Samara says she is determined to take home the title of highest fundraiser.
She has already held a few fundraising events for the cause and is now planning an upmarket dinner. She is seeking raffle prize donations and assistance from venues and other services to make it a night people won’t forget.
If you’d like to help with the fundraising dinner, please contact Cherrell on 0477 732 995 or to donate directly visit everydayhero.com/au/ and search for ‘Samara’s fundraiser’.
