First Knoll is our philanthropic program - here’s a little background from co-founder Roxanne Martens:

The best way to explain our philanthropic philosophy is to tell a story. When our children were young, we lived at the base of a mountain.  We would often climb it together as a family, but sometimes little legs flagged.  We would encourage them to get the first knoll, because it was from there that you could see the way to the summit.  So often, once the children reached the first knoll, they would be inspired to walk all the way to top.  We believe that is often the case in life; encouragement and a little help over the first hurdle can ease the path and make the end goal more achievable.

The First Knoll program directs a third of Forridel’s profits to help those who are struggling reach the point where the summit comes into view; where the rest of the climb seems possible.

We partner with established organisations which share our vision. We are based in Brisbane, Australia and much of our philanthropic work is delivered here.

Recent projects include working with Anglicare to help women transition from homelessness into secure accommodation, establishing enduring scholarships at the University of Queensland for young indigenous women and graduate humanities students, supporting daily life skills program for young adults with disability, creating a children’s playroom at Brisbane’s ‘3rd Space’ day centre for the homeless, and financially supporting orphan refugees from Afghanistan.