A mum with personal experience of having a seriously ill young baby has been appointed as head of fundraising at local children’s charity The Archie Foundation.
Kelly M. Anderson brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development roles, most recently at National Museums Scotland and the University of Aberdeen.
She will manage Archie’s team of fundraisers in Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness, who support the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells and the Highland Children’s Unit at Raigmore Hospital.
The newly created role at The Archie Foundation was a dream job for Kelly, who has two sons, Brodie and Tor.
Aged just nine days, baby Tor was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart defect and was transferred from Aberdeen to the then-Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, where Kelly and her family were able to stay in parent accommodation at Ronald McDonald House.
After an emergency operation to repair his aorta, Tor – who recently celebrated his 12th birthday – was allowed to go home in time for his first Christmas with his family.
“After Tor recovered from his operation, we raised money for Yorkhill Children’s Hospital, selling tea, coffee and home bakes from a caravan outside our house,” said Kelly. “The local community rallied to support the fundraising efforts, and a year to the day after his operation we were able to hand over a cheque for over £3,000 to the hospital. It really gave me a feeling of empowerment that I had done something that was both useful and important in the wake of such a traumatic time for our family.”
Growing up in Aberdeen, where she graduated from Grays School of Art, Kelly has always had a close connection with Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Kelly’s uncle was one of the founding parents of the Friends of the Special Nursery, now part of The Archie Foundation, and she remembers her family raising money for incubators as a child.
“The first fundraising I ever did was at the age of nine, when I organised a school jumble sale to raise money for the spinal injury unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Although I have since worked in fundraising and development for a wide range of organisations and charities, my dream has always been to work in child health fundraising – when I saw the role at Archie I knew it was my dream job.
“I can really relate to how the families Archie supports feel - I have been there myself as a parent with a desperately ill child. One of the things which has stayed with me from that time was being able to stay in parent accommodation free of charge,” said Kelly.
“Not having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for essentials can remove a huge cause of stress and allow parents to focus on their child and I’m so glad that this is one of the vital services provided to families by The Archie Foundation, at the time when it’s most needed.
“I know support like this makes such a difference and I am so proud to work for The Archie Foundation. We have a strong team who all want to make a difference.”
Paula Cormack, chief executive of The Archie Foundation, welcomed Paula to the team.
“We are so pleased to have Kelly on board to lead our team of fundraisers. She has a strong background in community and corporate fundraising in the arts and medical fields, including nine years at the University of Aberdeen, where she led on fundraising for the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition.
“Kelly’s proven track record combined with her personal experience as a parent of a child who has been in hospital make her the ideal person to drive our fundraising as we enter our 25th year as a charity.”
The Archie Foundation exists to transform experiences and outcomes in healthcare and bereavement for babies, children and families across North Scotland.
The charity’s vision is that all children in the region will have equal access to world-class healthcare and bereavement support, delivered in a child-appropriate environment and manner.
For more information about the practical, financial and emotional support available from The Archie Foundation, visit www.archie.org/getsupport/