OUR FOUNDER’S STORY

Every Foundation Begins with a Story. Ours Begins with Humanity.

La Moneta Foundation was not born simply from a desire to establish a charity.

It was born from lived experience — from moments of love, hardship, resilience, and the questions that have shaped my understanding of what it means to be human.

Throughout my life, I have believed that success should never be measured solely by financial achievement, professional recognition, or material possessions. What matters most is the positive difference we make in the lives of others.

Yet sometimes, it takes our most difficult experiences to truly understand the meaning of that belief.

When Darkness Becomes a Beginning

In 2019, I experienced one of the darkest chapters of my life.

Living with severe depression, I reached a point where I struggled to see a future for myself. It was a deeply personal experience that changed how I understood vulnerability, human connection, and the importance of compassion.

Recovery was not a single moment of transformation. It was a journey of learning, rebuilding, and rediscovering purpose.

Through that journey, I came to understand something profound:

Every person carries a story we may never fully see. Every struggle deserves understanding. And every life deserves dignity, compassion, and the opportunity to begin again.

My lived experience did not make me stronger overnight. But it taught me to recognise strength in places I had never thought to look — in vulnerability, in kindness, in asking for help, and in the courage to keep moving forward.

It also taught me that empowerment is not simply about teaching people to be strong.

Sometimes, empowerment begins when someone feels safe enough to be vulnerable, supported enough to heal, and valued enough to believe in their future.

This understanding became one of the foundations of La Moneta.

A Mother’s Question: Why Do We Study Humanity?

Another defining moment came through a simple question from my eldest son, Jay.

He asked me why we needed to study humanities and history.

At first, I struggled to give him an answer that truly captured their importance.

But the more I reflected on his question, the more I realised that education should never be limited to acquiring knowledge, qualifications, or professional skills.

Education should help us understand not only how the world works, but why humanity matters.

History teaches us where we come from.

Culture teaches us that there are many ways of seeing and understanding the world.

Compassion teaches us to recognise ourselves in others.

And wisdom teaches us how to use what we know responsibly.

As a mother raising two sons while navigating the challenges of business, personal hardship, and social expectations, I wanted my children to understand something beyond achievement.

I wanted them to understand that intelligence without compassion is incomplete, and that success without humanity loses its greater purpose.

That question inspired me to write a children’s book about unconditional love, drawing upon my own experiences of motherhood.

More importantly, it helped crystallise the philosophy that would guide La Moneta Foundation.

Why I Founded La Moneta Foundation

The name Moneta carries associations with money, memory, and the ancient Roman goddess Juno Moneta.

For me, it represents a reminder that the true value of wealth lies not only in what we accumulate, but in what we contribute and the legacy we leave behind.

The Foundation also carries forward a family aspiration to support children and those facing disadvantage.

But as my own journey unfolded, I came to understand that lasting change requires more than financial assistance.

It requires education, understanding, connection, and the restoration of human dignity.

This is why I founded La Moneta Foundation upon two fundamental principles: Humanity and Education.

Humanity is our purpose.

Education is our pathway.

Empowerment is the opportunity we hope to create.

We believe that education can break cycles of disadvantage, challenge discrimination, build understanding between cultures, and help individuals discover their own potential.

We also believe that lived experience is a valuable form of knowledge.

People who have experienced hardship, trauma, exclusion, or significant life transitions should not be defined by what they have endured. Their perspectives deserve to be heard, respected, and included in shaping a more compassionate society.

Turning Lived Experience into Collective Empowerment

Today, La Moneta Foundation seeks to bring these principles into action through community education, youth development, women’s empowerment, cultural understanding, wellbeing initiatives, and creative storytelling.

Our work recognises that empowerment takes many forms.

For a young person, it may mean discovering confidence, direction, and a sense of belonging.

For a woman rebuilding her life after hardship or trauma, it may mean reclaiming independence, personal safety, and the freedom to make her own choices.

For a family, it may mean finding connection, understanding, and hope.

For a community, it may mean creating opportunities for people of different generations, cultures, and backgrounds to learn from one another.

We recognise the importance of First Nations knowledge, cultural continuity, connection to Country, and intergenerational storytelling. We seek to approach these relationships through respect, listening, and meaningful collaboration.

Through education, creative expression, cultural experiences, and community partnerships, we hope to create spaces where people are not simply recipients of support, but active participants in shaping their own futures.

We do not believe empowerment means giving someone power. We believe it means helping people recognise the power, dignity, and potential that already exist within them.

Humanity Is Our Shared Responsibility

We live in a world of extraordinary technological advancement, economic ambition, and constant change.

Yet progress cannot be measured by innovation alone.

The true measure of progress is how we treat one another, how we protect those who are vulnerable, and how we prepare future generations to live with both knowledge and compassion.

I believe education must nurture not only intelligence, but also emotional awareness, ethical responsibility, resilience, and wisdom.

And I believe humanity must remain at the centre of everything we create.

My personal journey has taught me that none of us walks through life without challenges. But our experiences can become a source of understanding, connection, and positive change.

La Moneta Foundation is my commitment to transforming that understanding into action — not through one person alone, but through the collective strength of people who believe in a more compassionate future.

Road to Dreams — Today · Tomorrow · Together

Our motto, Road to Dreams — Today · Tomorrow · Together, reflects a simple belief.

Today, we act with kindness, courage, and responsibility.

Tomorrow, we create opportunities through education, understanding, and empowerment.

Together, we build a future where every person has the dignity, support, and freedom to pursue their dreams.

I do not believe that one foundation can change the entire world.

But I believe that one meaningful act of kindness can change someone’s world.

One conversation can restore hope.

One opportunity can change a life.

And one story, when shared with courage and compassion, can inspire many others.

My story is only one among countless stories of resilience, love, and transformation.

La Moneta Foundation exists because every one of those stories matters.

Our purpose is not simply to help people overcome hardship. It is to build a society in which humanity guides our actions, education opens doors, and every individual has the opportunity to thrive.

With gratitude and hope,

Jessie Shen

Founder & Chair La Moneta Foundation

Road to Dreams — Today · Tomorrow · Together