Presenting your 2020 Westfield Local Heroes

We are excited to announce your three 2020 successful Westfield Local Heroes for Hornsby.

These inspiring local leaders were nominated and voted for by the community and will now be awarded a $10,000 grant for each of their affiliated organisations to help their important work to grow.

Westfield Local Heroes is a community recognition and grants program, connecting and enriching local communities. Launched in 2018, the program spans our 42 trade areas across Australia and New Zealand. In 2020, we are awarding $1.26 million to 126 local organisations.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here.

Your three Westfield Hornsby Local Heroes are:

Ava

St Lucy's School Wahroonga
Courageous. Generous. Selfless

Nine-year-old Ava has a deep-rooted desire to be inclusive and lives by the motto "No one gets left behind." She supports young people in her community in a number of ways. For example, she reaches out to younger children who feel insecure at school, and she is forever raising funds and donating her pocket money and toys to good causes. Ava is particularly passionate about supporting the children with learning disabilities and special needs who attend St Lucy’s School. One of those children is Oliver, Ava’s close friend. Ava's current fundraising project is to help St Lucy's build wheelchair-friendly vegetable gardens.

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James Thomas

Feel the Magic
Empathetic. Passionate. Leader

James Thomas believes that with the right support, great things can come from tragedy. "I like to think that I'm a good example of this," says James, who felt bereft after losing his parents as a young adult; his father in 2005 to cancer and his mother unexpectedly on his 31st birthday in 2011. After his mother passed away, James sold his successful signwriting business and launched Feel the Magic, which supports children and teens through grief. The non-profit runs mentor-led programs for bereaved children and teenagers who have lost a parent, sibling or guardian.

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Jeni Hayes

Mission Australia – Northern Sydney West Youth Homelessness Service
Dedicated. Inspirational. Humble

Jeni Hayes feels honoured by the opportunity to have devoted 30 years of her life to community services. “Journeying with people of any age as they overcome barriers and achieve their goals is a privileged space to sit in,” Jeni says. She is primarily inspired by her work at Mission Australia, where she has been supporting young people at risk of homelessness for more than 10 years. “Our team feel privileged to have assisted many young people to overcome the impact of family breakdown, family violence, school disengagement, unemployment, mental illness, drug and alcohol use, homelessness and recidivism.”

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