August 25, 2020
Local Hero – Vote for Josie
Northern Health Foundation Patron and local fundraising hero, Josie Minniti OAM, has been nominated as a Westfield Local Heroes finalist for 2020.
Westfield Local Heroes is a recognition and awards program that discovers and celebrates individuals who make a positive impact to their local community.
Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with three finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant. We are thrilled this year that Josie Minniti has nominated Northern Health as her chosen charity.
Should Josie be successful, she will contribute the funds towards the purchase of an EBUS machine for our respiratory department. This will help speed up the time for a respiratory diagnosis so treatment can start much sooner for our patients.
Josie’s nominator says: “Josie’s impact on our health service is immeasurable. Through her tireless fundraising, Josie has greatly improved the comfort of our patients during their treatments.”
Josie has dedicated over 20 years to fundraising for cancer services in Melbourne hospitals. Despite having health challenges of her own, Josie strives hard every year to make a difference to the lives of our cancer patients, something very dear to her heart with her own family dealing with cancer.
Josie is a dedicated and inspiring volunteer whose tireless efforts have helped raise over $700,000 to support patients with cancer or kidney disease at Northern Health. The funds have helped pay for medical equipment upgrades and for equipment that makes life more comfortable for patients undergoing cancer treatments.
“Whenever I am fundraising my motto is ‘there is always someone worse off than you’, so I will do all I can to improve their lives,” says Josie, who has received an Order of Australia (OAM) for her dedication.
“This year, my target is to purchase equipment for the respiratory unit to help patients suffering from lung cancer.”
Josie’s fundraising activities have included picnics in the park, dinner dances and pasta nights just to name a few. Proceeds have funded a scalp cooling machine, blanket warmer, patient treatment chairs and defibrillators for the Day Oncology Unit at Northern Hospital Epping.
Let’s thank and acknowledge Josie Minniti for her outstanding commitment to the local community.