Nominations are now open for the 13th annual City of Airdrie Volunteer of the Year Awards and the City is seeking resident’s help selecting some deserving volunteers.
“Airdrie is a community whose foundations were built on volunteerism, and that spirit continues to be seen today within many organizations, schools and teams that rely on the hard work of volunteers to remain sustainable,” said Robbie White, social planner for the City, in a press release. “The City of Airdrie feels that these efforts should be recognized, and it is for this reason the City would like to encourage residents to nominate the outstanding volunteers in our community.”
This year, nominations will only be accepted by filling out an online application at airdrie.ca
“It makes it a lot easier for us to submit (the online nominations) to the Community Advisory Board,” White said of the move to online applications.
The deadline for nominations is March 27 and White suggests if you have a volunteer in mind, try and get other people in the community to write a letter of recommendation to go along with your nomination.
“It’s a really great idea to get other people to submit letters of support because the Community Advisory Board will look at these when making their decision (on the winners),” he said. The awards include four categories: Leader of Tomorrow Award, Ambassador Award, Soul of Airdrie Award and Volunteer Advocate Award. The Leader of Tomorrow is given to a volunteer aged 11 to 18 who has shown leadership in the city through his or her volunteer involvement. Last year’s winner was Elena Mitevska, then 15, who has actively volunteered with Community Links and has also been an active member of her school community, helping to organize events like Pink Shirt Day and Ride of the Mustangs.
The Ambassador Award recognizes a citizen or business that has made an outstanding contribution in promoting the City of Airdrie as a place for community and opportunity through volunteerism and philanthropy. The 2014 winner of this award was Mike Acheson of the Cooperators who organized events like Buckle up Bears and provided corporate volunteers for the RCMP Bike Festival. He has been a major sponsor for events such as Tour de Airdrie, Chicken and Chuckles and the Astoria golf tournament, which raises money for the Airdrie Food Bank.
The Soul of Airdrie Award is for a resident who has made an outstanding contribution as a volunteer in the fields of art and culture, athletics, social and community services, and/or governance. This individual demonstrates a passion for helping others become resilient contributing members of the community. Last year’s Soul of Airdrie Award was bestowed on Karin Simpson, who has given continuous support to an array of community interests for nearly 30 years, including a number of roles on community boards as well as council appointed and community volunteer positions.
The Volunteer Advocate Award recognizes a not-for-profit organization, a volunteer-comprised grassroots committee and/or a community group that has demonstrated community leadership by engaging citizens through volunteerism. In 2014 the award went to the Airdrie Chamber of Commerce for its work to advance the commercial, financial, industrial and civic interests of Airdrie. They have been involved in the community and run by volunteer directors for 40 years.
“When all the nominations are received (by March 27), we submit everything to the Community Advisory Board,” White said, adding the board members then discusses the nominations and selects the winners.
