WELL-KNOWN young humanitarian and Woolgoolga Public School student Olive Elliott has been named the 2021 New South Wales Junior Ambassador to The Fred Hollows Foundation at a ceremony for the Humanity Award earlier this month.

The Humanity Award is a national initiative of The Fred Hollows Foundation that acknowledges Year 6 students who follow in Fred’s footsteps by demonstrating humanitarian values towards others.

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The Award celebrates those who show compassion, integrity, and kindness towards others, and Olive was chosen out of 43 NSW nominees for the award.

Young Olive was nominated by her teacher, Karen Enersen, for her generous and altruistic nature.

“Olive is one half of a duo called the ‘Kindness Crusaders’, who show kindness to people needing help in their community of Woolgoolga,” Mrs Enersen said.

“Olive has made Christmas gifts for each resident of a local nursing home and collected vouchers from local businesses to assist a person with cancer, a young teenager recovering from an accident, and local flood and fire victims.

“She organised ‘wet packs’ from donated items to ensure homeless people could stay clean and groomed; Olive is a caring, empathetic, and generous student.”

Since 2012, the Fred Hollows Humanity Award has recognised more than 1,600 students who follow in Fred’s footsteps by making a positive difference in the lives of others.

Founding Director of The Fred Hollows Foundation Gabi Hollows congratulated students from across the nation for their kindness, compassion, and integrity.

“The past 18 months have been tough for everyone, but especially for those of you whose schooling was interrupted by the pandemic,” Gabi Hollows said.

“I’m so glad that we could celebrate your altruism and the difference you’re all making in your communities.

“It’s incredibly humbling to read about what you’ve all been doing, and I know that Fred himself would be so proud of the young humanitarians who have been honoured.”

One Junior Ambassador was chosen from each State and Territory in Australia.

As a Junior Ambassador to The Fred Hollows Foundation, Olive has extended her humanity even further by allocating the $5,000 that she received for her award to The Foundation’s Indigenous Australia Program (IAP), where The Foundation works to end avoidable blindness.

This $5,000 gift was donated by the award’s charity partner Specsavers.

By Emma DARBIN