On the back of winning the Gold Coast SUNS Community Award on Club Champion night, Jarrod Harbrow has been nominated as a finalist in the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award.
 

The AFL and the Reach Foundation today released the names of the three finalists for the inaugural award; joining Harbrow is Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell and Richmond midfielder Daniel Jackson.

The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award honours the former Melbourne Football Club President and champion player who passed away in March this year and will be presented to one of these three finalists at the 2012 Brownlow Medal Ceremony.

AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou said the award commemorates Jim Stynes’ tireless service and leadership across the community.
This award will be bestowed on the AFL player who demonstrates the values of Jim Stynes in his commitment to the community and understanding the value of helping others.“The AFL is proud of the three finalists’ outstanding contribution to the community, each demonstrating true leadership and initiative.”

“Jim’s brother Brian Stynes will present the award to the winner at the Brownlow Medal, which is a fitting tribute to Jim’s achievement as the 1991 Brownlow medalist,” said Mr. Demetriou.

Reach Foundation Chief Executive Officer Sarah Davies said this award is a wonderful tribute to Jim and a great way for Jim’s legacy to live on.
Jim lived his passion for seeking and encouraging the greatness in young people and encouraging them to live their best lives; it is fitting that this award recognises others who are doing this for themselves and for others. Nominations were sought from AFL clubs before the selection panel chose the three finalists and the winner who will receive $20,000 from the AFL to be donated to the charity or community program of their choice.

The Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award selection panel includes Justice Linda Dessau, AFL Commissioner (Chair of the selection panel), Andrew Demetriou, AFL Chief Executive Officer, Sam Stynes, Don McLardy, Chairman Reach Foundation and President Melbourne FC, Jason Mifsud, AFL Community Engagement Manager, Neil Mitchell, 3AW Melbourne presenter, Kim Williams, News Limited Chief Executive Officer. As Sam Stynes and Don McLardy were overseas, the Reach Foundation was represented this year by CEO Sarah Davies and Board member Tom Harkin.


Finalists for the inaugural Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award:
Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell has shown outstanding leadership and excellence over a number of years in making a very significant contribution to a wide range of community groups, charitable organisations and social programs. Nick is a founding Director of the Collingwood Football Club Foundation. He established The Michael Carmody Foundation to honour the memory of one of his Geelong schoolmates who was killed in a camping accident in 2008. Nick is an ambassador for Make-A-Wish Australia which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. He is also an ambassador to the World Society for the Protection of Animals which exists to tackle animal cruelty across the globe. Currently, Nick is actively involved in hosting and organising an upcoming fundraising event for Beau Vernon, a footballer at Leongatha Football Club who suffered a severe spinal injury during a football match in June 2012.

Richmond player Daniel Jackson is a member of the club’s leadership group and has demonstrated a significant commitment to a number of community organisations throughout 2012. He has a strong passion towards helping Australia’s youth and has dedicated much of his spare time to supporting youth at risk and addressing mental health issues. Daniel was appointed onto the national board of the non-for-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters, an internationally renowned youth mentoring organisation. He is an ambassador for Headspace, which is Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. His role as ambassador has included the support of awareness campaigns around anti-bullying and diversity, in particular International Day Against Homophobia. Daniel is a presenter for the Resilience and Mental Health program, and is also guest speaker for Step Back Think, which focus on education around anti-violence and alcohol fuelled violence.

Gold Coast SUNS player Jarrod Harbrow has been instrumental in championing the SUNS work in the remote indigenous communities across the state of Queensland and beyond. In the Far North Queensland community of Bamaga, Jarrod led a contingent of players to achieve the start up of the “No Boundaries Partnership Program” in 2011 which aims to mentor students in at risk communities. Working with the Queensland government, Jarrod championed the launch of the No Boundaries Indigenous Program in Gold Coast in 2012 to support at risk Indigenous Primary school students. Jarrod’s outstanding commitment to indigenous communities was demonstrated when he nominated himself to be the Gold Coast SUNS Senior Indigenous Ambassador for 2011 and 2012. This year’s AFL Indigenous Round was made special for the Gold Coast SUNS when Jarrod developed and initiated the inaugural Indigenous Cultural awareness session for his fellow teammates and staff. The session was aimed at raising awareness of indigenous culture by sharing stories and discussing the heritage of each Indigenous player at the SUNS.