Hunting for a hero

HAVE you been pulled from the jaws of a shark by your bubba? Has your dad donated a kidney to save someone’s life? Did your sister fly to Haiti to help with the relief effort?

Our community is full of unsung heros, exceptional people who perform selfless acts of courage or random acts of kindness, with no thought of personal reward or recognition.

But their efforts don’t go unnoticed, and this week, The AJN is launching its inaugural search for one outstanding individual in Victoria and one in New South Wales, who will be crowned our Community Heroes of the Year.

Run in conjunction with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) and the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV), nominations for the awards open today — and it’s down to you, our readers, to tell us who should be in the running.

There is no age limit and nominees don’t have to be affiliated with any Jewish organisation, rather this award is about everyday people achieving outstanding things.

“There are so many selfless individuals within our community who give so much of themselves to others and we at The AJN want to publicly acknowledge their efforts,” national editor Zeddy Lawrence said.

“This will be the first Australian Jewish News Community Hero of the Year competition and I encourage all our readers to nominate somebody they think is deserving.”

Nominations can be made via email and should include a 150-word description of why you think the nominee deserves the award, as well as the nominee’s contact details.

After that, our judging panel will draw up shortlists of five nominees from each state who will be profiled in The AJN and on jewishnews.net.au’s own video network, JNTV.

Readers will then vote for the person they think is most deserving of the title Community Hero of the Year NSW and Community Hero of the Year Victoria.

The awards will be presented at the JCCV’s annual awards night in December in Melbourne and at the JBD’s December plenum.

“There is nothing better than to give of oneself to others. To do so selflessly is the greatest gift of all,” said JCCV president John Searle. “It is important that as a community we recognise these unsung heroes, not because those heroes seek such praise, but because it is the right thing to do. The JCCV is honoured to play a part in recognising and acknowledging our community heroes.”

Chief executive of the JBD Vic Alhadeff said: “There are many unsung heroes within our community who do extraordinary things. This award will go some way towards recognising them and redressing that imbalance. The board is therefore happy to support this commendable AJN initiative.”

Entries should be submitted to heroes@jewishnews.net.au by October 22, 2010.