Our starfish

PICTURED: Cade and his mum, Carissa, presented the Rotary Club of Greater Springfield’s Community Services Director, Sharon Clark, left, with a portrait to thank her and the club for their support of the family.

Relief for Queensland family.

Seeing a family in dire need after a traumatic accident that resulted in a local Ipswich child losing his left foot, the Rotary Club of Greater Springfield, Qld, stepped in to help, raising over $35,000 through a compassionate grant.

Words Sarah Atkins. Immediate Past President. No Borders Rotaract.

You are most likely familiar with the starfish story. Famously penned as the ‘Star Thrower’ by anthropologist Loren Eiseley in 1969, the tale reminds us of the importance of helping whenever we can, regardless of the futility we might feel due to the sheer number of people who need our aid. The narrative is simple: a wise older man walks along a beach, on which thousands of starfish have been washed up due to a storm tide. Seeing a boy exerting himself by picking up starfish after starfish and throwing them back into the ocean, the man questions the point. There are so many that it’s barely possible to notice the boy’s efforts at all. But the boy shrugs. “It matters to this one,” he says, and continues in his task.

The Rotary Club of Greater Springfield’s Community Services Director, Sharon Clark, found herself in such a position after a horrific accident befell a local family in 2023. Ipswich toddler Cade Perry was playing on the family’s property shortly before his third birthday when the family’s ride-on mower went over his left foot, resulting in an amputation and 16 surgeries. In order to provide Cade with the care he needed, his mother Carissa had to reduce her work hours, which saw the family’s mental and financial situation deteriorate rapidly.

With nowhere else to turn, Carissa reached out to Rotary. The response was inspiring: an initial Bunnings charity barbecue saw enthusiastic support from the Rotary Club of Greater Springfield, and Sharon realised that everyone in the club coming together could make a lifelong impact for this family. In November 2025, they successfully applied for a Rotary Australia Compassionate Grant, which meant fundraising was now matched by The Rotary Foundation. Over the next three months Sharon orchestrated donations from multiple clubs in District 9620, as well as reaching out to 400 community groups across Australia; in the end, donations were coming from as far away as Perth. The funds were presented to the family in April 2026 in a special ceremony that included audience activities based around individual uniqueness and strength.

“Sharon not only stepped up, she stayed,” said Carissa. “It made an enormous difference to our family when we didn’t know how we could go on. We wouldn’t be standing here tonight without her.”

Ipswich Mayor, Teresa Harding, also attended the presentation and thanked the club for “not looking away when it was needed most”. Ultimately, an incredible $35,283 was raised to cover Cade’s treatments. After contacting local equipment companies, Sharon was also able to get a new mower donated at no cost by Kenmore Mower Power Equipment.

Fourteen months on, Cade has healed well from his surgeries and grafts and adjusted to a prosthetic foot. While he’ll likely need three or four each year as he grows, the generous contributions raised by the grant have ensured the family will stay well above water.

“He’s just like any other four-year-old boy,” Carissa said. “He’s doing really well. He’s resilient and not letting anything get in his way.”