Charlotte living through lives she saves: Parents’ tireless mission

Matt and Kelly O’Brien said losing their 12-year-old Charlotte to suicide caused ‘unimaginable heartbreak’ which the family is now “channelling” to help other children suffering at the hands of bullies.

The parents of bullied schoolgirl Charlotte O’Brien are keeping their promise to make sure her death is not in vain, raising desperately needed funds for the only Australian-based confidential 24 hour counselling support service for children.

Matt O’Brien said losing 12-year-old Charlotte last year to suicide caused “unimaginable heartbreak” which his family is “channelling” to help other children suffering at the hands of bullies.

Charlotte’s suicide note, that said “Mama, please share my story to raise awareness” has spurred Matt and Kelly to keep on fighting, even in their darkest hours.

They took part in the Sunday Telegraph’s Charlotte’s Wish documentary and have helped force the Federal Government into committing to a national bullying policy.

For Kelly it’s simple: “Charlotte lives on through every life she saves.”

Kelly and Matt O’Brien with their son Will before a charity walk in Blacktown honouring Charlotte. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Right now, their focus is on making sure Kids Helpline has the funding it needs to help suffering children.

“In the wake of this unimaginable loss, we are honouring her legacy by channelling our heartbreak into action,” Matt said.

“Charlotte’s Wish was to end bullying. So our goal is to raise significant funds to strengthen Kids Helpline’s capacity to engage, inform, and support children, young people, parents, carers, and educators,” he said.

“We hope in our daughter’s honour the community will come together.”

On August 1, Matt and Kelly will host Charlotte’s Wish Gala at Doltone House in Pyrmont, with all funds going towards developing a new anti-bullying hub on the Kids Helpline website where children, young people, parents, carers, and educators can go to identify, prevent, and address bullying.

Charlotte O'Brien with the little brother she adored. Picture Supplied by her family.

The money will also be used to hire a senior bullying expert who will create and roll out specialised training to ensure Kids Helpline counsellors are equipped with the latest evidence-based strategies to effectively and compassionately support children and young people facing bullying.

“Our goal is to create a stronger safety net for children and young people, enabling them to access the right support when they need it most. We truly want no child or young person to feel alone, unheard, or helpless in the face of bullying.”

Tickets for tables and individual tickets can be purchased through the link:

https://kids-helpline.grassrootz.com/charlotte-s-wish

Originally published as Charlotte living through lives she saves: Parents’ tireless mission