Presenting your 2020 Westfield Local Heroes

We are excited to announce your three 2020 successful Westfield Local Heroes for Woden.

These inspiring local leaders were nominated and voted for by the community and will now be awarded a $10,000 grant for each of their affiliated organisations to help their important work to grow.

Westfield Local Heroes is a community recognition and grants program, connecting and enriching local communities. Launched in 2018, the program spans our 42 trade areas across Australia and New Zealand. In 2020, we are awarding $1.26 million to 126 local organisations.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here.

Your three Westfield Woden Local Heroes are:

Jessica (Jess) Kercher

Camp Quality
Dedicated. Passionate. Selfless

Story body-Woden jessicaKercher

Jessica (Jess) Kercher is a dedicated supporter and fundraiser for Camp Quality, a charity that gives kids facing cancer the chance to be kids again. After watching her 2-year-old daughter fight an aggressive cancer diagnosis, Jess knows firsthand the impact Camp Quality has. For the last 10 years, Jess has been dedicated to fundraising and sharing her story to help families just like hers. Jess's bravery has raised enough funds to give hundreds of kids and families facing a cancer diagnosis the opportunity to go on a Camp Quality program. "Camp Quality's main focus is creating laughter. We truly believe laughter is the best medicine," says Jess.

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Kristine Hewett

Adamas Nexus support group
Kind. Tenacious. Motivated
Story body-Woden Kristine Hewett (2)

Kristine Hewett is known for her big heart and charitable nature. Despite working full-time, she co-founded the Adamas Nexus to provide long-term peer support for women survivors of domestic violence and abuse. There are many crisis services in Canberra, but Kristine noticed a lack of support groups to complement the care provided by mental health professionals. Adamas Nexus has been running for two years and offers two well-frequented groups a month in central and south Canberra. The group helps women to heal collectively by helping others and to reignite positive feelings, passion and power, Kristine says.

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Michelle Barclay

Canberra Community Law
Committed. Compassionate. Driven
Story body-Woden MichelleBarclay

Michelle Barclay is an empathetic, hands-on-lawyer who goes out of her way to support vulnerable people. She started at Canberra Community Law as a volunteer, but her charitable work has become her career. One of Michelle's wins is helping prevent women in prison from being evicted from their homes. "This has meant that these women have somewhere to be released to and ensures that their children can return to their family home," she says. Michelle also helps people who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness access legal help and obtain documents to access support. "The amazing thing about my work is that it often positively impacts my clients, and, in some cases, can be life-changing," says Michelle.

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