North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos forward Bella Eddey has been named a finalist for the 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award for her work with the Good Friday Appeal.
Eddey is one of four finalists, alongside Darcy Vescio (Carlton), Madeleine Scanlon (Fremantle) and Chloe Dalton (GWS).
Now in its 13th year, the Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award is presented to the player who has best demonstrated the values of late Melbourne champion and former president, Jim Stynes.
From a commitment to helping others and making a difference in the community, to the way the player represents the game on and off the field, the values celebrated by the award go to the heart of the sport.
This year is the first time clubs have been able to nominate players in separate AFL and AFLW categories, with nominations across the two competitions previously combined into one award.
Eddey’s involvement with the Good Friday Appeal was influenced by her childhood diagnosis with Crohn’s disease.
Diagnosed at the age of eight, Eddey was a regular patient at the Royal Children's Hospital as she battled with the chronic disease while growing up.
As a child, there were times she could hardly get out of bed. Now she plays Aussie Rules at the highest level while managing her condition.
Motivated to give back to the Royal Children’s Hospital and inspire other children living with chronic illnesses, Eddey has spoken openly about her condition and her experience as a patient at the Hospital since being drafted to North Melbourne ahead of the 2021 AFLW season.
She has also participated in player visits to the Hospital through the club’s AFL and AFLW SuperClash games, which provide valuable messaging and fundraising opportunities for the Good Friday Appeal.
In 2024, she made her contribution more formal by becoming an official ambassador for the Good Friday Appeal and was involved in several awareness-building activities in the lead-up to Good Friday, the Appeal’s main day of fundraising.
Following Good Friday, she has continued to engage with patients from the Royal Children’s Hospital by hosting them at the club’s Arden Street facilities and games. Eddey has forged strong relationships with several children, including 11-year-old Imogen Mulgrew, who recently completed a two-and-a-half-year treatment plan for leukemia, and seven-year-old Thomas West, who was born with a rare congenital condition of the oesophagus.
The winner of the 2024 Jim Stynes Community Leadership Award will be announced at the W Awards on Monday, November 25.
Proudly supported by Telstra and the Jim Stynes Foundation, the winner will receive $40,000 to be donated to the charity or community program of their choice.
