Nikki inspiring her sons to follow in her footsteps

The strong sense of community her parents instilled in her through volunteering fostered a strong desire to give back, and now Ms Cousins is trying to do the same for her own children through Rotary and swimming club.

Ms Cousins is the director and senior therapist at Action Occupational Therapy in East Maitland, youth director at East Maitland Rotary Club and an active committee member at East Maitland Swimming Club.

All of Ms Cousins' ventures, whether business or volunteering, have one common goal: to help the community.

As an occupational therapist, Ms Cousins' job is to help people participate in life as well as possible by making activities more accessible, whether that is showering, studying, cooking or riding a bike.

"I have this big passion that by helping other people in our community, they in turn, are then going to be able to get out and help our community as well," she said.

"It's all about fostering those relationships within our community, for people that would otherwise be unable to access services, or would be at a significant disadvantage."

Ms Cousins has three boys; Dexter (11-years-old), Archie (9-years-old) and Harvey (8-years-old), and was recently married to her husband Matt, a teacher who she met while volunteering in his classroom.

Initially, Ms Cousins thought having three young children would be a barrier preventing her from volunteering, but she said the community at East Maitland Rotary have welcomed her with open arms, kids and all.

"A big barrier to me doing community-based work was my need to look after them, I was a single mum at the time so I was really limited in my ability to help in the community for several years," she said.

When Ms Cousins' friend encouraged her to come along to Rotary, she thought she couldn't commit enough time because of the kids, but the club said 'bring them along'.

Now her kids call themselves Junior Rotarians and even have their own badges.

Ms Cousins said she gets so much out of volunteering, whether it's support in times of need or friendships that she almost feels bad receiving praise for it, such as when she was nominated for 2022 Maitland Woman of the Year.

"Through the Rotary Club of East Maitland, I feel like I get so much out of it myself that I feel really bad, being nominated for that award," she said. Ms Cousins is so glad her children enjoy helping out at Rotary, because being a good role model for them is a big reason she volunteers.

"That's a big driver in why I do what I do, because I had that sense of community instilled in me when I was younger," she said. "So I really want to be that role model for them and show them how important it is to help in your community."