Presenting your 2022 Westfield Local Hero

We are excited to announce your 2022 successful Westfield Local Hero for Mt Gravatt.

The successful Westfield Local Heroes organisation, will receive a grant of $20,000 to help them continue to grow their impact in the local community. Westfield will award 126 grants across Australia and New Zealand – totalling $1.26 million.

In early 2023, we will open nominations for the 2023 Westfield Local Heroes program, so start thinking about those people in your communities who make a difference.

Your 2022 Westfield Mt Gravatt Local Hero is:

Michael Carter

Overflow Foundation
Giving, Nurturing, Inclusive

Nurturing Michael Carter spends nights out walking the street, days coaching basketball and many hours helping local people beat addiction and stay on track.

Michael has worked in the community for more than 10 years, mentoring many people of all ages to turn their life around in that time. In 2019, he took his work to a new level and founded his charity, The Overflow Foundation, which has a core focus on youth substance misuse and mental health.

He and his team pride themselves on building strong relationships with the people they help.

Michael’s off-court actions as a Logan Basketball coach illustrate his caring nature. Players appreciate his encouraging personal texts after they have had a bad game, and parents value his check-in calls.

Michael has turned his own life around from substance misuse. He is non-judgmental and willing to do what it takes to help young people and their families.

The foundation’s approach is to support the whole family to help change their narrative and equip them with the tools they need to change.

“It's a beautiful experience watching someone improve every area of their life and become the complete opposite of what they used to be,” Michael says.

The Overflow Foundation will use its funds to buy furniture, music studio equipment and recreational equipment for its new youth facility.

We also congratulate our finalists who will receive a $5,000 grant for the organisation they represent, and we thank them for their incredible contribution to the local community.

Cindy Barden from Lil Bug Love
Compassionate Cindy Barden has developed a way to soften the harsh experience for children who accompany a parent to the police station to report domestic violence. Through her charity, Lil Bug Love, she supplies comfort kit gifts to keep children occupied and tablet computers with headphones so they don’t hear adult conversations.

Mariatu Jalloh from Open Hands Community Care
Compassionate Mariatu Jalloh ensures that weekly up to 200 families doing it tough always have nutritious food on the table through her charity Open Hands Community Care. Inspired by her own experiences as a refugee, she gave up her full-time job as a nurse to provide various community works, which has now led to the provision of food hampers and groceries at no or minimal cost.

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