Meet the region's unsung female heroes
These women are selfless, hard working have given countless hours of work in an effort to make their communities the best they can be
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UNSUNG heroes from across the Gold Coast and Tweed Shire will tonight be recognised for their selfless work.
The third annual Heart of Women Awards will be held at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast.
Below are the fine women who have been nominated for the Woman of the Year and Young Woman of the Year categories.
Woman of the Year:
Naomi Day
THE loss of her son from a preventable death has driven Naomi to ensure changes were made to the REACH program and to fight for other parents whose voices are lost.
Naomi turned her grief around to fight for a better way to bridge the gap in the health care system between health care professionals and parents.
Vicky Rose
Vicky manages the Nerang Community Centre with a passion for helping everyone.
Vicky's optimism and caring nature is contagious. She loves people, listens to them without judging, and is tireless in caring for her community.
Suzi Dent
Suzi believes in saying 'Yes' to the opportunities that life brings us.
This has led to her transformation from tomboy to international beauty queen.
She has received the lifetime honour of being crowned Mrs Earth International Ambassador.
Bridget Daley
BRIDGET started the Stand Up to Domestic Violence event; a major supporter of the Give Me 5 for Kids campaign; and is an ambassador for the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Bridget is a free-spirited dream chaser.
Zoe Scharenguivel
Zoe is a co-founder of Friends with Dignity and she is unwavering with her mission to support those who have survived domestic violence.
Personal experience led her to coordinate a lunch which soon transformed into something much bigger and, ultimately, Friends with Dignity was formed.
As a self funded organisation much of Zoe's time involves fund raising.
Young Woman of the Year:
Maddi Nicholls
FROM her first year at university, she advocated and mentored vulnerable students.
She was successfully able to establish policy changes at Bond for better inclusion and support of minority groups.
Still at university, she works for a legal firm helping the vulnerable.
Whitney Palmer
WHITNEY has a very strong commitment to social justice.
She regularly volunteers her time to create campaigns to increase awareness of a variety of issues.
Whitney has produced and filmed documentary on the illegal sex trade overseas and the homeless.
Taylor Birchnell
TAYLOR has been helping others from a very young age.
She has touched the lives of many people and made a lasting and significant impact.
Taylor is passionate about humanitarian and social justice issues, youth engagement and mental health awareness.
Erin Logan
AT ONLY 17, Erin has volunteered in the Leo's Club for five years, and has achieved many awards through school and for her volunteer work.
She has volunteered in nursing homes; homeless shelters; done fundraising ventures for other charities and causes.
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