Australian Paralympic swimmer and bemedalled athlete Chantel Wolfenden OAM has started swimming at the age of five as a form of therapy for her cerebral palsy. She has won a gold medal in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games in the Women’s 400m Freestyle S7 event. Thereafter, she has also received another national recognition, the Medal of the Order of Australia, for her outstanding achievements in the field of sports.
Together with her partner, they have been raising their three lovely kids: two daughters (one with ongoing specialist appointments) and a son living with disability .
“As a family of five, you can imagine life is remarkably busy with specialist appointments and everyday life, especially being a working mum with a physical impairment,” says Chantel.
Chantel is currently working as a “Learn to Swim” teacher at Bundaberg Swimming Academy and is also a qualified swimming coach to learners with disability.
Chantel applied in NDSP Plan Managers’ 2021 Bursary Program to take up advance swimming courses to further enhance her knowledge and skills in teaching a diverse group of people including babies and toddlers.
“The bursary prize has helped me gain more education to better myself in my chosen career,” she adds. She finds it important to always share her experiences and knowledge to the younger generation.
After the success of the 2021 NDSP Bursary Program (applications were open to participants in Queensland), NDSP continues its mission of giving back to the wider disability community with the launch of the NDSP Goal Getter Grant. This national bursary program will support the whole of Australia and it aims to award $5,000 to one (1x) National Grant Winner and $2,000 each to six (6x) State Grant Winners.
The NDSP Goal Getter Grant aims to support participants with their studies, to find employment, and to start their microbusiness.
Applications has commenced on 1 June 2022, Wednesday and will close on 23 September 2022, Friday, 5pm (ACST).
To learn more about the NDSP Goal Getter Grant, click here.
