Vicki James

Fundraising Engagement Manager

Background:

I first joined the Cancer Council Queensland family in 1999 when I went to a volunteer branch meeting in Surfers Paradise. I was nursing at the Gold Coast Hospital where we had a healthy succession of Nurse of the Year entrants each year. My colleague and dear friend Maggie Roberts (Cancer Council Queensland volunteer) suggested I enter the campaign in 2001.

Nurse of the Year:

My year as a Nurse of the Year entrant was a turning point in my life. I had wanted to be a nurse since the age of three and started nursing training in 1987. Being involved in the campaign gave me an opportunity to share my nursing experience and engage in so many of Cancer Council Queensland’s programs such as community speaking, branch volunteer and all fundraising aspects. My two young children (now teenagers) came along to every fundraising event and are now legends in raffle ticket selling and volunteering.

I was honoured to be named 2001 Nurse of the Year and humbled by the amount of support from nursing colleagues and Cancer Council Queensland staff. I continued to volunteer and enter our family team in the Gold Coast Relay For Life, sell daffodils and doorknock.

Community connections:

The rest is history! I have been working for Cancer Council Queensland over five years and the time has flown by. I love that I still see patients occasionally and seeing them survive gives me the extra boost to continue doing what I do. Without the funds we generate, Cancer Council Queensland couldn’t continue to support the many local patients who use the services. I have a great respect for the many friendships within the community I have formed through this cancer connection and am so proud of the giving nature of our communities. I also acknowledge that without our inspirational volunteers Cancer Council Queensland would cease to exist.

Fundraising:

My regional fundraising team work across the state on everything to do with fundraising in their particular region. It’s a role that often means working on weekends and volunteering at events, but despite the extra hours the work is done with a smile!
I work with an amazing, dedicated team who like me are propelled by the fact that we are playing a part in helping to find better ways of preventing, detecting, treating and one day maybe even curing cancer.

My role has been to recruit these amazing individuals and keep them motivated, working as a team in new and creative ways to increase the funds raised so that we can continue to provide research and support.