By Gabriella Payne
Looking after our mental wellbeing and understanding our emotions from a young age is so important, and for years now, Matt Runnalls has been helping local kids do just that.
His incredible efforts to help change the narrative around mental health through his organisation Mindfull Aus have certainly not gone unnoticed – as Mr Runnalls was recently chosen as one of this year’s Westfield Local Heroes grant recipients.
A very deserving yet humble winner, Mr Runnalls said that he was “super grateful” to have been recognised in this way and added that the $10,000 grant would be a huge help to Mindfull Aus moving forward.
“For me it’s never been about the awards – I do this work because I responded to a calling, but I feel super grateful to have been chosen as a recipient,” Mr Runnalls said.
“With this $10,000 grant, we will be able to continue supporting the communities in the south east and further down into Gippsland, and provide more youth mental health training in schools.”
“We’ve lost a lot of our income streams over the last 18 months, like most organisations, so to receive this $10,000 grant to help support the community even more is just fantastic,” he said.
Mr Runnalls was one of 1,400 everyday heroes nominated across Australia and New Zealand in the initiative back in February 2021 and after making it to the shortlist of 250 finalists, he was voted as one of the three winners in the Westfield Fountain Gate region.
The Westfield Fountain Gate centre manager, Craig Tapping, said that it was amazing to be able to recognise the hard work and passion of the community’s unsung heroes.
“The Westfield Local Heroes program continues to recognise and reward everyday people doing extraordinary things in our communities,” Mr Tapping said.
“We are incredibly proud to be able to recognise the important work they are doing.”
Nominated for giving “absolutely everything personally and professionally to create a healthier and happier future for everyone he meets”, it’s clear to see the impact Mr Runnalls has had on the local community.
Thanks to this award, Mr Runnalls said that Mindfull Aus would be able to deliver its workshops to 370 more children throughout the area, provide schools with resources and also train another 12 teachers in youth mental health first aid.
“It is incredibly meaningful and a great opportunity to further reach and inspire more young champions to recognise the strength of who they are, no matter their challenges or situations,” he said.
With schools slowly getting back to onsite learning, Mr Runnalls said that he was looking forward to the year ahead.
