Wests Tigers forward Josh Aloiai has been nominated for the 2019 Ken Stephen Medal for his outstanding community work.
The 2019 Ken Stephen Medallist will be announced during Grand Final week, with voting now open on NRL.com, providing fans the opportunity to select a nominee they feel deserves to be a finalist. The player with the highest number of votes will be included as one of four finalists announced next month.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR JOSH ALOIAI!
As a player, Josh consistently uses his platform to positively impact the community — going above and beyond to donate his time across the club's community programs in the areas of Wellbeing, Education, Grassroots and Inclusion.
He has been involved in a substantial amount of community initiatives including hospital visits, toy drives, International Women's Day, disability events and more.
Josh works alongside the club's Charity Partner Men of League Foundation to visit people in the rugby league community who have fallen on hard times, and also leads the way as a Voice Against Violence Ambassador — working with junior rugby league clubs in Campbelltown and rural New South Wales with educational messages to prevent violence against women and children.
The face of the club's "Celebrating Differences" anti-bullying program after being heavily involved in its creation, Josh has helped the acceptance program reach over 15,000 kids as part of Wests Tigers' annual Community Carnival visit.
In addition to his extensive club commitments, however, Josh uses his platform and profile in the NRL to assist with numerous youth, community and charity projects.
Josh is an official ambassador for Feel the Magic — a charity that helps bereaved children and teenagers deal with the loss and grief of losing a parent and sibling. For Josh, this charity is a cause close to his heart after the unexpected passing of his father when he was 13, and he uses his experience to speak to campers and mentors about his experiences to help them begin to heal.
On his days off training, Josh is frequently visits the children's ward at his local Liverpool Hospital — putting on magic shows for hours to help put a smile on the faces of children and their families who are going through a hard time.
In 2019, Josh has visited hundreds of school students off his own accord, where he delivered leadership and career messages about goal-setting and resilience.
Few people demonstrate the leadership, respect and empathy for others on a regular basis that Josh does. He continues to go out of his way to assist people overcome obstacles by sharing his personal experiences, and draws on these experiences to inspire and encourage others in the community.
Josh constantly drives the core values of the club and rugby league within the community, and celebrates diversity within rugby league — highlighted by his constant work with disadvantaged groups, disadvantaged youth, people living with a disability and working with women in sport and rugby league.
Most importantly, he is incredibly genuine and passionate and doesn't do anything mentioned above for recognition or notoriety.
And that's why he is the perfect person to vote for in the 2019 Ken Stephen Medal.
