Honouring women at the heart of the community

THE 10th annual Heart of Women Awards is now open for nominations, celebrating women with heart in the community.

The major fundraiser for Northern Rivers homelessness charity, Agape, the awards acknowledge the outstanding achievements of women who demonstrate courage, passion, enthusiasm, and generosity in a range of sectors.

The 16 categories include Woman of the Year, Young Woman of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Unsung Hero and a new category, Woman of the Decade.

Agape’s founding director and awards administrator, Theresa Mitchell, said winning the Wonders of Women Award’s Woman of the Year in 2014 was a pivotal moment.

“Tweed Valley Women’s Services ran it, and after I won, the service was sadly closed after 30 years, and the award as well,” she said.

“I remember how much that meant to me then. As a single mum, we didn’t have a dollar to rub together, and I’d go down to feed the homeless, but I often didn’t even have spare change to buy milk for the coffee.

“To have somebody in the broader community see what I was doing and recognise that was huge, and I saw I could be seen as a leader instead of feeling invisible as the people on the street felt.”

Re-establishing the awards in 2016, the event supports Agape’s homeless outreach and service provision work, highlighting the charities and businesses that sponsor the awards.

“We also encourage men to be involved and be seen as supporting women in the community and bridging that gender gap,” Mitchell said.

“The truth is, women do find it hard, because a lot of business is still a man’s world.”

To become a sponsor or to nominate before January 1, visit heartofwomenawards.com