An Auckland woman who co-founded StarJam, a charitable trust that gives young people with disabilities the chance to shine, has been named as one of the Kiwibank Local Heroes national finalists for an award that recognises people who make outstanding contributions to their communities.
More than 140 Local Heroes are to receive medals, and of these 10 have been marked for special attention as semi-finalists for the national Local Hero Award to be announced on February 16 at a special gala dinner.
Julie Bartlett was nominated for her work with StarJam, which began in 2007, and creates national and international limelight opportunities for young people with disabilities now widely known as Jammers. The young people gain confidence, respect and many have new purpose by being given the chance to perform with, and fo,r the wider "able-bodied" community.
Julie's husband Roy Bartlett, StarJam co-founder, was also among the 140 local winners. Roy works fulltime as volunteer office manager, and has the neurological disease multiple sclerosis. The couple live in Orakei, Auckland, a short distance from StarJam's national office in Remuera.
Julie's brother Ross Moses, who has Down Syndrome, inspired his sister to start StarJam and is its CEO. More than 500 young people with disabilities have become involved in the organisation's musical performance workshop programmes.
There are 24 performance workshop programmes run in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington each week in song, dance, percussion and guitar.
The Kiwibank Local Heroes Medals celebrate everyday New Zealanders who have made outstanding contributions to their communities. Several hundred nominations were received and winners from 15 regions will be presented their medals in March.
Last year, Billy Graham from Naenae in Wellington was named the overall Kiwibank Local Hero for his work creating programmes for at-risk youth. In 2010 the award went to another Aucklander, Haami (Sam) Tutu Champion.
This year's list is dominated by local heroes from the Canterbury region, in a year where community spirit has been tested to its limits.
Tristan Roberts from Kaiapoi is a volunteer for the NZ Volunteer Fire Service and St John Ambulance. He also volunteers his time each week running a joint leadership program between the Fire Brigade and the R13 Trust which provides alternative educational and skill programmes for young people not progressing in school. He worked very long days after the February earthquake, at the peril of his own business, assisting the community in their recovery.
Likewise one of the public faces of the Christchurch quake, Sam Johnson, who mobilised the Student Volunteer Army, giving students the best press they've ever had. Sam used social networking skills to pull together a volunteer army of thousands of students to help out the shaken Christchurch community after both the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes. The SVA now has a support base of more than 26,000 people and continues to provide help to Christchurch, both earthquake related and unrelated. Sam also transferred his skills to help Japan after their devastating tsunami and earthquake, where he worked with Japanese students to help them set up a similar scheme. His ability to lead a team of volunteers inspired glowing recommendations from across the globe and contributed to a more positive image of students.
2012 Kiwibank Local Hero semi-finalists:
Sam Johnson - Christchurch
Henare O'Keefe - Hastings
Bernard Monk - Greymouth
Robert Shaw - Taneatua
Louise Roebuck - New Plymouth
Lyla Sherriff - Tuatapere
John Hartnell - Christchurch
Morgan Perry - Christchurch
Julie Bartlett - Auckland
Tristan Roberts - Kaiapoi
Who is someone in your community who deserves recognition? Let us know through the submission box.