Presenting your 2022 Westfield Local Hero

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

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 Parramatta Local Hero is:

Jason Sotiris

SuperTee
Caring. Persistent. Passionate

Devoted dad Jason Sotiris is bringing a little joy to seriously sick children with his free medical-grade superhero garments that make life a little easier for hospital staff and bedside parents.

Jason came up with the idea for his SuperTee garments when his baby daughter Angela was seriously ill in Westmead Children’s Hospital with a rare type of cancer. One night, Angela vomited, and Jason struggled to change her because of the monitors and IV lines connected to her tiny body.

Afterwards, he had a great idea. A child’s hospital garment that could be changed easily whether they were awake or asleep.

Jason spent two years designing his garment, which is MRI compatible, has a cape that transforms into a bib and openings for tubes.

So far, more than 8000 Supertees have been distributed to sick children across Australia through his charity Supertee, which has the support of more than 200 volunteers. And Jason’s imagination has been rewarded with an Australian good design award for social impact.

Jason’s dream is for a Supertee to be available for any child given bad news in any hospital in Australia.

“The Supertee means so many different things for so many different people,” Jason says.

SuperTee will use its funds to cover the cost of 445 Supertee Marvel edition garments for children at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

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.

Mal Fruean from NSW Council Pacific Communities
Malaemie (Mal) Fruean OAM is a NSW Council for Pacific Communities board member who has spent two decades championing good causes for her community. These include addressing health challenges, building pathways to training and employment and honouring the top achievers.

Natty Osorio Diaz from The Smith Family
Natty Osorio Diaz is passionate about her work for The Smith Family, where she provides children and young people support and opportunities to get the best of their education. As an immigrant who could not speak English when she arrived in Australia, Natty values the opportunity to help the many families with a migrant background.

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