Quiet achievers of our community recognised in fourth annual Help Awards

Community champions will have their moment in the spotlight next month when the winners of the 2023 Help Awards, presented by NRMA Insurance, are announced.

Help Awards founder Jodi Duyster, centre, with Christine Robertson and Georgi Thomas. Georgi is the founder of the Mustard Seed Family Project, a charity that supports homeless communities in Adelaide, while Christine is the director of Lost Pets of South Australia. Picture: Russell Millard

Not all heroes wear capes and rescue little old ladies from burning buildings.

Today’s everyday champions come in many forms and perform many selfless tasks – from providing food, coffee and hope to homeless people, through to reuniting lost pets with their distraught owners. 

All these types of modern-day community heroes will be honoured at the 2023 Help Awards, presented by NRMA Insurance.

Established by Royston Park businesswoman Jodi Duyster, the annual event aims to celebrate those unsung achievers who quietly make the world a better place for those around them.

Duyster was moved to create the event after seeing first-hand the selfless efforts by Kangaroo Island residents in the wake of the 2020 bushfires.

“There were a few people I really noticed who were just giving and giving and they were exhausted ... but they wouldn’t stop giving,” the director of medical recruitment company Australian Medical Placements says.

Now in its fourth year, the awards have shone a spotlight on a host of individuals and groups for their selfless acts, with winners last year including the Lost Pets of South Australia organisation and Georgi Thomas, the founder of homeless charity the Mustard Seed Family Project. More than 120 nominations have been received across the awards’ eight categories for 2023.

Duyster hopes the awards inspire others to become more giving.

“I think people want to help but they’re just unsure of how to start,” she says. “Sometimes, just hearing someone else’s story, you think: ‘maybe I can do something to help someone else out too’.”

The sentiment is echoed by both Thomas and Lost Pets of South Australia co-founder Christine Robertson, who say being celebrated in the event provides a much-needed “pat on the back”.

Lost Pets of South Australia – which works to put “families back together” – has taken out the People’s Choice honour for the past two years in a row.

Lost Pets of South Australia’s Christine Robertson. Picture: Supplied

Robertson is grateful for the role the Help Awards play in highlighting the important work organisations carry out in the community.

“It’s really good that like-minded people are out there acknowledging others in the community sector,” she says.

“These awards bring us recognition and it’s a bit of a pat on the back for volunteers. When you’ve got hundreds of people giving up their time, just having some recognition for them is really important to help boost their morale and keep them engaged.”

Thomas was spurred into action when he saw a homeless man eating food straight from a rubbish bin several years ago. He established the Mustard Seed Family Project, which oversees a number of programs to help people who are doing it tough, including Paid 4 U, the first pay-it-forward cafe in Adelaide, which provides free meals for homeless people.

Paid 4 U won last year’s Community Champion category, while Thomas claimed the Individual Star honour.

He says the awards have been huge in terms of helping “share the story” about the charity and its offshoot projects. “It’s a very grassroots organisation but when you get an award people start listening to your story and decide to get involved,” he says.

Mustard Seed Family Project founder Georgi K Thomas and daughter Evangeline in 2020. Picture: AAP Image/Morgan Sette)

Thomas says it is fantastic that “unsung heroes” have a chance to be applauded, particularly as there often isn’t a great deal of support for charity workers.

“It’s very important we recognise all those unsung heroes and those people who are giving back to the community.”

To be held at Adelaide Oval on November 15, this year’s “blue carpet gala event” will be hosted by Channel 7 presenter Rosanna Mangiarelli and feature hypnotist Isaac Lomman.

Duyster says NRMA Insurance is the perfect partner to help make the 2023 event bigger and better than ever, while its chief customer and marketing officer Michelle Klein says the business is “delighted” to come on board.

“NRMA Insurance has been helping Australians protect the things they care about for almost 100 years, so we are delighted to support this awards program and its gala event celebrating everyday heroes who have helped their communities,” Klein says. “We saw the power of help and the resilience of South Australians during the recent floods.”

Anyone keen to attend is welcome to buy a ticket – or to “pay it forward” and purchase a ticket for someone else who might struggle to cover the cost.

Details: thehelpawards.com.au

AWARD CATEGORIES

NRMA Community Sport

NRMA Emergency Services

Fresh 92.7 Community Champion

Lexus Learner

TTO Individual Star

ADL Support Services Wellness and Inclusion

AMP Healthcare Hero

People’s Choice