By Cristina Sacco, of MCCI
MCCI has proudly delivered high quality services and support to multicultural communities for over 48 years. As the regional peak body for multicultural associations, we take our role to represent members’ interests seriously and every two years we celebrate MCCI members who have made an outstanding contribution to the local multicultural community. This year we celebrated four winners.
VoxFM - Excellence in Multicultural Service Delivery Award
Vox FM provides 23 language radio programs, delivering news, information, music, and community service announcements to multicultural communities. Presenters are volunteers, donating their time, language expertise and passion for communities. They played a vital role during the COVID19 pandemic to distribute public health messaging to the community.
"We’re greatly humbled to have won the award this year and we do our best to serve all our communities throughout the Illawarra, especially our culturally and linguistically diverse communities and we look forward to serving those communities well into the future and in a partnership with MCCI," said Ben Hession from VoxFM.
Nan Tien Temple - Excellence in Cultural & Community Events Award
The Nan Tien Temple delivers a wide range of social, cultural and educational events to promote diversity, inclusion and multicultural harmony.
During the last 12 months they have created a significant number of new partnerships and cultural event programs with local many local associations, highlights included:
- Hands in Harmony event attended by nearly 2,000 Illawarra school children to promote intercultural wellbeing, sustainability and stronger understandings of Reconciliation;
- Fundraising for local women's services;
- A multicultural concert series over the Easter weekend; and
- Regular well-attended events such as the Lunar New Year festival and baby blessings events.
"Winning this award meant a lot to the Nan Tien Temple so that finally people can see the effort that we put into our community engagement. We are very grateful for the support from MCCI and the general community," said the Venerable Miao You.
Zinah Hassan - Young Leader Award
Zinah Hassan is a dedicated, active, and passionate young woman who has harnessed her lived experience of refugee settlement and love of sports, to mobilise, engage and advocate for inclusion and participation in sport and wellbeing activities with migrant and refugee youth.
Zinah has also supported her community as a COVID testing nurse. She provides translation support to TAFE students through Student English Support and has completed the Duke of Edinburgh International Bronze Award.
Zinah’s character is compassionate, caring and supportive. She has faced and overcome many challenges in her life and is resilient and strong willed, rising above adversity. She is an incredibly strong young role model for our community as a whole.
"It’s been an absolute pleasure getting this award and working with MCCI. It’s been amazing. I am looking forward to continue working with communities and doing better every day," said Zinah.
Bertha Quiros - Outstanding Community Contribution Award (Joint Winner)
Bertha is well known to the Illawarra’s multicultural community sector in a range of capacities. She has delivered incredible events over the years, including the Afro-Latino festival or the Latin American Film Festival. But she won this award for her tireless work for vulnerable communities, through fundraising, charitable food relief providing support wherever she can.
"I thank MCCI for the hard work that they do to find time to recognise those outside their organisation who are also doing work in joining with the community...I do everything from the heart and I really mean that, I don’t go doing something expecting something back; that’s not in my nature, but it is always good to be good to be recognised at the end of the day and maybe not recognised as much as knowing that you are going in the right direction..." said Bertha.
Louis Parnis - Outstanding Community Contribution Award (Joint Winner)
Louis has been president of the George Cross Community Centre at Cringila since 2006 and has secured significant funding to make improvements to the Centre and grown the Centre as a hub for a range of community activities.
In this time, in a voluntary capacity Louis has secured significant funding to make improvements to the Centre and grown the Centre as a hub for a range of community activity, including:
- a weekly lunch for 130 seniors;
- men's shed;
- classes for dancing, language learning, craft and a choir;
- regular community events and performances; and
- recognition ceremonies for veterans
"I acknowledge receiving this award. It’s a pleasure and I am very humbled to receive this award and I will continue to do work in the future," said President of George Cross Community Centre, Louis Parnis.
