We are excited to announce Dr Lubna Alam from National Alo Enlightened Women Inc as your 2023 Westfield Local Hero for Belconnen!

Westfield is proud to award a community grant of $20K to help Dr Lubna and Alo Enlightened Women Inc to continue to grow their impact in the local community

The 2023 Westfield Local Heroes program will award 126 grants across Australia and New Zealand – totalling $1.26 million to support local communities.

For further information or to discover the Westfield Local Heroes at other Westfield centres, visit the Westfield Local Heroes website.

Your 2023 Westfield Belconnen Local Hero is:

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Dr Lubna Alam

Alo Enlightened Women Inc

Passionate. Dedicated. Empowering.

Passionate Dr Lubna is the founder of Alo Enlightened Women Incorporated. This volunteer-run organisation empowers migrant and refugee women through educational programs focused on leadership, financial inclusion, women in tech and violence against women and girls.

Lubna is driven by her experiences as a migrant who had to overcome prejudice to succeed as an IT professional. Today she is a university academic with several degrees, including a PhD in non-profit crowdsourcing.

Alo is her passion project and her way of giving back. Lubna and her colleagues are all role models in the community and make a significant impact on the lives of hundreds of women in Canberra and beyond.

One of their flagship achievements is their financial wellness workshop, which has been presented to more than 350 women. They have also created a women’s health video series, which more than 30,000 people have viewed. In addition, hundreds of local women have also benefited from their car maintenance and gender equity (“See it to be it") workshops.

Lubna is thrilled to be nominated as a Westfield Local Hero. “This recognition is encouraging and motivates me to do even more for my community,” she says.

Enlightened Women Incorporated will use its funds to run a financial literacy and mental wellbeing program for women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

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We'd like to thank and acknowledge our finalists who will receive a $5K grant for the organisation they represent...

Graham McKerchar from Capital Region Community Services

Graham McKerchar is devoted to providing transport and social connection for older and infirm locals. As transport manager at Capital Region Community Services, he’s responsible for 42,000 trips per year for 1,000 registered participants. Graham is also a driving force behind the 10/10 volunteer garden blitz that does basic gardening for people who cannot manage to do it themselves.

Mark Brosnan from Mental Illness Education ACT

Brave Mark Brosnan is making an extraordinary impact on his community by sharing his story of recovery from PTSD, depression and anxiety. Mark volunteers at Mental Illness Education ACT, where he runs face-to-face sessions that reach thousands of local people, ranging from the Australian Federal Police to secondary school students.

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If you need support, please phone Lifeline: 13 11 14

Recognising all our 2023 nominees

View all of the Westfield Belconnen nominees and their organisations.