We are excited to announce Jodie Irvine from Roundabout Canberra as your 2023 Westfield Local Hero for Woden!

Westfield is proud to award a community grant of $20K to help Jodie and Roundabout Canberra 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 Woden Local Hero is:

Jodie Irvine

Roundabout Canberra

Kind. Modest. Determined.

Modest Jodie Irvine has dug deep for five years to provide thousands of local children with the essential items they need to stay safe and warm.

Jodie volunteers at Roundabout Canberra, where she devotes many hours a week to any task that needs doing.

One of Jodie’s roles is to clean, repair and safety check hundreds of preowned prams before they are handed to their new family. She also helps with system administration and designs T-shirts and aprons with the charity’s logo.

In previous years Jodie has taken responsibility for carefully picking and packing orders of essential items for children who may otherwise go without.

As a mum of three young children, Jodie knows how expensive essentials like car seats, school necessities and clothing can be. She loves the idea that she is taking pressure off families who can put the money they save towards rent, food and other expenses.

Jodie feels honoured to be nominated as a Westfield Local Hero. “Knowing that we're giving a newborn baby a safe place to sleep, helping children with supplies to attend school, or enabling a new mum to get out of the house with a pram is incredibly humbling and motivating,” she says.

Roundabout Canberra will use its funds to buy new cots, prams and safety equipment, as well as nappies, wipes and toiletries.

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

Glenda Stevens from Fearless Women Inc.

Glenda Stevens is the founding CEO of Fearless Women Incorporated, where she encourages girls and young women to live with confidence, courage, resilience and hope. She has reached more than 3,000 schoolgirls with her Fearless Future course and enrolled 50 young women in a two-year mentorship program.

Verlene Marshall from Lions Club of Canberra Brindabella

Verlene Marshall goes above and beyond every day to support a wide network of people in her community. Verlene’s most significant contributions include being President of the Lions Club of Canberra Brindabella and Board Secretary of Lions Youth Haven. She also takes every opportunity to get involved in hands-on volunteer work.

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

Recognising all our 2023 nominees

View all of the Westfield Woden nominees and their organisations