Westfield centres across the country have today announced the finalists for their Westfield Local Heroes community recognition and grants program. A total of 216 finalists from 36 Westfield centres across Australia have been put forward by their local communities and are now in with a chance to receive one of 108 $10,000 grants – three per Westfield centre – as voted by the public.

Vote now for local heroes

Earlier this year, local communities were called upon to nominate individuals and their affiliated organisations whose work promotes social wellbeing and harmony in their area. With over 1,000 nominations, the voting period is now open, and the community is being asked to cast their vote and help determine who will be awarded a Westfield Local Hero grant.

This year’s finalists represent initiatives and programs that support a range of different community values, opportunities and challenges, including homelessness, at risk youth, domestic violence, cultural awareness and disability support networks.

Commenting on the Westfield Local Heroes Program, Scentre Group National Community Experience Manager Pam Wilson said, “Following the announcement of this year’s program in March we received thousands of nominations and are thrilled to see the amazing support people show for one another in our communities..

“$10,000 can make a big difference to a community, so we are now calling on the public to determine each centre’s three Westfield Local Heroes. We urge our customers to visit their local centre’s website to cast their vote,” adds Pam Wilson.

The voting period for Westfield Local Heroes opens on Tuesday 30 July and closes on Monday 12 August. 

Each Westfield centre’s three successful grant recipients will be announced on 1 October 2019, with 120 grants and a total of $1.2M awarded across Australia and New Zealand.