We are excited to announce Kate Bettenay from Hero Hunter Foundation as your 2023 Westfield Local Hero for Whitford City!

Westfield is proud to award a community grant of $20K to help Kate and Hero Hunter Foundation 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.

Nominations for the 2024 Westfield Local Heroes program are open now. If you know someone who's making an impact, nominate them as a Westfield Local Hero - nominate here.

Your 2023 Westfield Whitford City Local Hero is:

Kate Bettenay

Hero Hunter Foundation

Strong. Loving. Sacrificing.

Loving Kate Bettenay has turned her family’s grief into something positive for WA families and has captured the imagination of thousands of school children.

Kate is a co-founder and Director of Operations at the Hero Hunter Foundation, which supports families of children undergoing cancer treatment.

Kate formed the foundation in honour of her beloved son Hunter, who passed away from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at the age of 8.

The charity donates and delivers healthy, nutritious meals every week to parents who must stay with their children in cancer wards. It also provides professional house cleaning and gardening services so parents can focus on caring for their children. Other support they offer includes fuel vouchers for families who need to travel for cancer treatmentand the educational children’s book, “Hero Hunter and the Wonky White Cells”.

Kate worked with more than 50 schools this year to run Hero Hunter Day. Children dressed in superhero costumes and raised over $30,000 dollars through a gold coin donation. Crucially, the event also increased childhood cancer knowledge and awareness.

Kate feels honoured to be nominated as a Westfield Local Hero. “I know Hunter would be very proud to know his name continues to be spoken and that he is positively changing the experience for families.”

Hero Hunter Foundation will use its funds for hospital meals and to run an adventure day for children who have undergone treatment and their families.

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

Fancesca Cant from Story Dogs Ltd

Francesca Cant and her friendly dogs go above and beyond to help children become confident readers. Francesca is an area coordinator for Story Dogs North Perth, where she recruits, trains and supports volunteers who visit local primary schools for one-on-one reading sessions. Francesca loves the trusting bond the children develop with the dogs.

Vicky Young from Dandelions WA

Vicky Young is a co-founder and President of Dandelions WA, which gives school children backpacks complete with stationery, a library bag, water bottle, lunch box and toiletry bag. Thanks to Vicky’s vision and tenacity, 6,795 Western Australian children started school in 2023 with items that put them on an equal footing with their peers.

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

Recognising all our 2023 nominees

View all of the Westfield Whitford City nominees and their organisations.