Hayden's Helping Hands

Nillumbik's 2022 Australia Day Award winners proving age is no barrier to community contribution, 12-year-old Stephanie Rujak and her 15-year-old brother Hayden are the joint recipients of the Young Citizen of the Year Award. The duo behind Hayden’s Helping Hands also received the award for Community Group of the Year.

Hayden’s Helping Hands was established to provide for the relief and alleviation of poverty, distress, misfortune and disadvantage suffered by people experiencing homelessness in Australia including through:

• Distributing food and supplies to people experiencing homelessness through a network of volunteers, including in particular young people
• Improving access to basic human needs for people experiencing homelessness, including sanitation and clothing
• Creating opportunities for people experiencing homelessness to interact on a meaningful and mutually beneficial level with the community, particularly young people
• Promoting and raising awareness and understanding of homelessness, particularly among young Australians