We are excited to announce Kellie Finlayson from Jodi Lee Foundation as your 2024 Westfield West Lakes Local Hero!

Westfield is proud to award a community grant of $20K to help Kellie at Jodi Lee Foundation to continue to grow their impact in the local community.

The 2024 Westfield Local Heroes program will award 125 grants across Australia and New Zealand – totaling $AUD1.24 million to support local communities.

Your 2024 Westfield West Lakes Local Hero is:

Kellie Finlayson

Jodi Lee Foundation

Resilient. Dedicated. Inspirational.

Kellie Finlayson was diagnosed with bowel cancer shortly after the birth of her daughter. Despite having a terminal diagnosis, she is now a passionate advocate for young onset bowel cancer and volunteers as an ambassador for the Jodi Lee Foundation to raise awareness for the prevention and early detection of the disease.

“Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in my age bracket of 25-44,” she says. “No one should ever have to go through what I have gone through and what I continue to experience. I am on a mission to limit the diagnosis numbers and spread as much awareness as possible.”

To raise awareness for the early detection and prevention of bowel cancer, Kellie assisted the Jodi Lee Foundation with their Trust Your Gut campaign and helped launch their new Symptom Checker tool. She also speaks at events, including AFL games, to share her story.

Kellie’s dedication isn’t without challenges though. “Being a living example will always have its challenges,” she says. “Even if you are a ‘survivor,’ there is still collateral damage. But being terminal is a whole other challenge. Unfortunately, I also cannot do as much advocacy work while on active treatment because I need to look after myself.”

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities. The finalist with the most community votes is the Westfield West Lakes Local Hero for 2024, receiving a $20,000 grant for the organisation they represent. Jodi Lee Foundation will use the grant to run 10 community awareness events, include speaker fees, venue hire, catering and educational material.

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

Hannah Darling from Grange Surf Life Saving Club

Hannah Darling is a dedicated community volunteer and chief instructor at Grange Surf Life Saving Club. She mentors 22 clubs in South Australia, leading initiatives in youth development and high-performance educational leadership. Hannah has spent over 1,000 hours patrolling beaches, ensuring the safety of our community.

Rose Darling from Community Help and Togetherness Inc

Rose Darling is dedicating her retirement to helping the less fortunate. As founder of Community Help and Togetherness Inc, she supports people experiencing homelessness, financial distress or social isolation. Rose leads a team of 30 volunteers helping over 200 people by providing a free weekly breakfast including essential items, distributing bread to schools and supporting a local hostel.

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

Recognising all our 2024 nominees

View all of the Westfield West Lakes nominees and their organisations.