People doing wonderful things for their community have been chosen as finalists in the Westfield Local Heroes grants program.
The program recognises individuals whose work promotes social wellbeing and harmony across family, youth opportunity and inclusion and was launched in April with the community invited to submit nominations.
Westfield Hurstville and Westfield Miranda shopping centres have each chosen six Local Heroes finalists.
The public will now vote for three Local Heroes from each centre, that will each receive $10,000 grants.
Through theinitiative, Westfield will contribute $60,000 towards community foundations in the local area.
Full list of Local Heroes finalists below.
Westfield Miranda
Paulo De Nobrega - Sutherland Titans Football Club
Paulo dedicates his time to assisting children with disabilities and special needs, encouraging and enabling them to take part in sporting teams. As volunteer for the Sutherland Titans Football Club, Paulo acts as coach, manager, committee member and sponsorship manager. If Paulo is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would continue to fund the club for another year, including equipment and facilities.
Callum Franciskovic - Top Blokes Foundation
Callum dedicates his time to improving the mental health and wellbeing of young men in the community, by supporting them to make healthier and safer life choices. As part of the Top Blokes Foundation, Callum facilitates workshops to assist young males build important life skills including conflict resolution, help-seeking and critical thinking. If Callum is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant will allow the Top Blokes Foundation and his program to expand to further schools in the Sutherland Shire area.
Elizabeth O’Sullivan, Elouera Surf Life Saving Club
Elizabeth is a founding member of Elouera’s Yellow Fin Nipper Program, dedicating her time to setting up and running the program. The Elouera Yellow Fins is an inclusive nipper program that supports children on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities to learn about and benefit from important lifesaving lessons and skills. If Elizabeth is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant will be used to expand the program and further increase its scope.
Danielle Lucas, Care 4 Kids
Danielle dedicates her time to creating care packs for the local charity Care 4 Kids. These packs are delivered to police stations and provided to children who are victims of domestic violence. If Danielle is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would help Care 4 Kids continue to supply much needed care packs to children affected by domestic violence.
Kirsty Mason, Dandelion Support Network Inc.
Kirsty dedicates her time to assisting disadvantaged families to ensure their babies and children have access to nursery items essential for their safety, well-being and development. As a part of her role as toys and linen manager, Kirsty leads a team of volunteers on a day-to-day basis, assisting at Donation Days to ensure the events run smoothly. If Kirsty is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would allow Kirsty and the Dandelion Support Network Inc. to assist a minimum of 76 disadvantaged families with items essential for their children.
Brook Stewart, Kingsway Community Care Inc.
Brook manages the delivery of temporary accommodation for homeless people and families escaping domestic violence in the Sutherland Shire. As the Community Outreach Manager at Kingsway Community Care Inc., he is passionate about providing accommodation and services to those in need. If Brook is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant will be used to provide hands on support for clients, including referrals for medical help, financial assistance, support in processing paperwork and budgeting training.
Westfield Hurstville
Syed Ahmad - Top Blokes Foundation
The purpose of the Top Blokes Foundation is to improve young men’s health and well-being. In the last 12-months, Syed has delivered over 350 hours of mentoring of 65 young men aged between 14 – 24. His mentoring programs ensure boys are able to discuss a range of topics including; anger management, healthy masculinity, mental health, respectful relationships, peer pressure and risk taking. If Syed is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant will help Syed and the Top Blokes Foundation to deliver additional mentoring programs to support boys and young men. These additional mentoring programs would reach approximately 45 young men from both Primary and High School, and result in a lasting impact across the local community.
Kellie Checkley - Project Youth Inc.
Working as the executive officer for Project Youth Inc., Kellie’s work is tireless in ensuring the social justice, inclusion and rights of young people in the community. Kellie is a strong advocate for the rights of youth and lobbies at a local, state and federal level to ensure resources remain available to support them. Additionally, Kellie works directly with the community through drop-in centres and case management. If Kellie is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would be utilised to cover staff wages, supporting street-based outreach.
Steve Drakoulis - Autism Community Network
Steve’s focus is to create a society where people living with autism can enjoy the same opportunities and quality of life as everyone else. Steve is the founder and General Manager of ACN. He manages most aspects of the operation, whilst training and supporting 30+ volunteers across Sydney. Steve regularly speaks at events, community groups and schools, networking with other organisations and businesses to grow the ACN. If Steve is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would contribute to providing extra assistance to the ever-growing number of support groups the organisation has. Currently, the organisation has 31 groups at no charge, catering to over 1,200+ registered families. The grant would also enable the organisation to continue operating long-term, supporting and providing free services to individuals with autism and their families.
Natalia Esdaile Watts - Moving Forward
Natalia is very active in raising awareness and aiming to reduce the impact of domestic violence within the community. She works hard and speaks out at many functions (International Women’s Day, local schools, Candle Light Vigil), to build supportive and safe networks, working towards domestic violence-free families and relationships. Natalia encourages youth to stand up for themselves and one-another and is a committee member for the local council’s inaugural White Ribbon Walk, along with running in City2Surf, where she raised over $10,000 for White Ribbon. Natalia has also presented to LAC St George Police DV Unit, educating the team on how to best communicate with victims of domestic violence. If Natalia is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would be split between opening a refuge in the St George’s River Council area and helping women directly as they approach the Moving Forward organisation to assist with their needs at the time, such as finances, groceries and furniture.
Amal Madani - 3 Bridges Community Limited
Amal is a community leader who supports and enriches the lives of vulnerable people in our local community, providing services including case-management, crisis intervention and counselling. Amal is leading many local dementia-focused initiatives and would like to extend this in order to create a dementia-friendly Westfield Hurstville program, making it a dementia-friendly shopping centre that is inclusive and supportive of people living with dementia. If Amal is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would cover the cost of making a dementia specialist accessible to the community through this new program, providing information and running educational workshops.
Ray Sun - Headspace Hurstville
Ray has been volunteering for Headspace Hurstville for over four years. Headspace Hurstville is a free youth mental health charity, which supports young people in the George’s River area who are going through a tough time. Ray attends meetings, events and school presentations to advocate for youth mental health and supports his peers. At these events, Ray shares stories of his life experience and offers self-care advice and tips. Ray also acts as an interpreter at Headspace community stalls, ensuring the Chinese community are aware of their services. If Ray is successful as a Westfield Local Hero, the $10,000 grant would contribute towards a range of services such as a yoga and art group, community events, resourcing and giving back to the volunteer team.
Westfield Hurstville and Miranda are now asking the public to vote for which individuals they think should be each awarded the $10,000 grant and become the centres’ Westfield Local Hero.
Westfield Miranda centre manager Paul Stonebridge said the final step in the program was for the public to now choose their Heroes.
“We have been overwhelmed by the incredible nominations received from the southern Sydney community, and the heart-warming stories shared,” Stonebridge said.
“We urge people to now vote for the change and good-will they wish to see.”
Voting is now open and closes July 1.
