Introducing Kristel: Our latest Prize Home Ambassador

As the face of our latest Prize Home, Lottery #451 at 126 Barrier Reef Drive, Mermaid Waters, on the Gold Coast, Kristel shares her story with our valued supporters, showcasing the impact a lottery ticket can have on supporting people with disability to live, learn, work and flourish.

More than a decade ago, soon after finishing school, Kristel was employed by Endeavour Foundation’s Burleigh Heads Business Solutions and later Reedy Creek Recycle Market on the Gold Coast.

It was at work that Kristel met her future fiancé, Matt, who both describe their connection as destiny.

While on their first date, Kristel and Matt found that they shared many similarities, including interests in sports, music, cars, and an affinity for reptiles. 

And then in 2021, in the Japanese Gardens in Toowoomba, Queensland, Matt got down on one knee and asked for Kristel’s hand in marriage.  

Now floating on cloud nine, Kristel thanks Endeavour Foundation for getting her to where she is today. 

“Endeavour Foundation has given me a job that I love, helped me make friends, and more importantly it’s where I met my fiancé,” Kristel said.

As part of her role as an Endeavour Foundation Prize Home Ambassador, Kristel was the first person to take an exclusive tour of the Gold Coast Prize Home.

“I felt like a VIP. I’ve never seen a home more perfect than this, and any person who wins it would be so lucky,” Kristel said. 

The four-bedroom home is located in a prime position, within a 10-minute drive from Gold Coast’s most popular beaches, 20-minutes to the hinterland, and cafés, some of which are Kristel’s favourite places. 

 “I love my life on the Gold Coast. I can go to the beach, go for a bush walk, go shopping all in one day!” 

“But my favourite place to visit is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, where I get to hold the crocodiles, snakes and blue tongue lizards,” Kristel said. 

Going through the Prize Home, Kristel was particularly excited about seeing the dedicated gym featuring a Proform Tour De France Exercise Bike and an adjacent media room for family games and movie nights.

“In preparing for our wedding, Matt and I are focused on becoming healthier and getting fit by going to the gym.”

“Having a gym at home would make it easier to workout more regularly, and when we’re done, we can jump in the pool,” Kristel said.

The glamour of having a coastal Prize Home, is an alfresco area that’s perfect for entertaining and hosting family gatherings, with a saltwater pool as the backdrop. 

But if you need some down time, there are three lounge rooms located throughout the Prize Home, and a reading nook located under the stairs.

Styled with a chaise lounge, this reading nook is the perfect spot for quiet contemplation and enjoying a good book. It soon became a prized spot for Kristel who has a passion for reading fantasy novels.

Kristel is quite the storyteller. After being among five people to win Endeavour Foundation’s Imagine What’s Possible competition, Kristel gave the gift of reading to school children, something she hadn’t had the opportunity to receive while she was at school. 

Kristel donated 15 electronic reading pens to Southport Special School, sharing her life-changing experience and her love for reading with students.

An electronic reading pen reads each word aloud as it is swiped across the page and provides dictionary definitions of words that users are unsure of.

“I hope that one day there will be a reading pen in every school, but this is a start,” Kristel said.

With ambitions for the future, Kristel is currently writing a novel for children about magical Dingoes, inspired by her favourite book series, Harry Potter, and her love for animals.

But that's not all that caught Kristel’s attention. The fully contained primary retreat, featuring a primary bedroom, ensuite, walk-in-wardrobe, private balcony, lounge and coffee station transported Kristel into the future of what it might be like for the winner of this Prize Home. “This home has something for everyone,” Kristel said.

And the best part of the day for Kristel was knowing that with her support as a Prize Home Ambassador, Endeavour Foundation can continue to provide support for people with disability, similar to how it has helped her.

“Without Endeavour [Foundation], I’m not sure if I’d be where I am today. They helped me look towards my future, and [realise] that I can make my possibilities a reality,” Kristel said.

Looking to the future, Kristel and Matt are currently saving for their wedding, with hopes to also move into their first home together.