By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
A 19-year-old Ballan woman has added another award to her trophy cabinet, being named the Young Woman of the Year at a British award ceremony for her charity work last week.<\/p>\n
Keeley Johnson founded Keeley\u2019s Cause with her mum Sharon Murphy in 2017, with the goal of helping other kids with intellectual disabilities access iPads to enhance their learning.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday 19 April, Keeley was named Young Woman of the Year at the Women Changing the World Awards, her fourth award for her charity work in four years.<\/p>\n
Ms Murphy said she was beyond proud of Keeley, and inspired by how she\u2019d grown and responded to the adversity she faced at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was a bit shocked and overwhelmed, but grateful and excited when I rang her to tell her. When I told her she\u2019d won, she went \u2018What? Me, I won it?\u2019, then after a while it kind of sunk in,\u201d Ms Murphy told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud. When you have a child with a disability, they come with limitations and health conditions, she has a few health conditions on top of her autism and intellectual disability that really impact on her life. I\u2019ve always tried to teach her to be the best version of herself, and she\u2019s kicking goals. I\u2019m so proud of her for the charity she created and the success it\u2019s having, it\u2019s phenomenal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m biased because she\u2019s my daughter, so I think what she\u2019s doing is amazing and I\u2019ll support her 100 per cent to the hilltops\u2026but when people recognise her for awards like this, obviously they\u2019re seeing what I see in her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Johnson also received a Moorabool Shire Access & Inclusion Award in 2020, was one of two Australians awarded with a Diana Award in 2020, and won a Stevie Award in 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis A 19-year-old Ballan woman has added another award to her trophy cabinet, being named the Young Woman of the Year at a British award ceremony for her charity work last week. Keeley Johnson founded Keeley\u2019s Cause with her mum Sharon Murphy in 2017, with the goal of helping other kids with intellectual […]<\/p>\n