Darebin Citizen of the Year - Chris Lombardo

A big congratulations to our very own Chris Lombardo who was recently awarded Darebin Citizen of the Year for 2020.

Chris is CEO of Bridge Darebin, and the award recognises the way she led and inspired her team of staff and volunteers through the enormous challenges of 2020. When face-to-face activities stopped, rather than close the Bridge Darebin sites in Preston and Thornbury, Chris recognised that the local community was going to need support in acute and unprecedented ways.

Chris partnered with other Neighbourhood Houses and organisations, including Darebin City Council, Fairshare, Feed Appeal, Foodbank, local businesses and Uber to provide emergency relief in the form of thousands of cooked and frozen meals, hygiene packs and fresh food. To protect employment, staff were re-deployed to assist in donation distribution and training, and educational classes were moved online.

Watch the video below to see Chris accepting her award!