Nominations are now open for the 15th annual Hearts of the Community Volunteer Awards and organizers are hoping people know someone they would like to honour this year.
The Hearts awards — jointly sponsored by the Peninsula News Review and Beacon Community Services — are open to individuals or groups who have provided outstanding volunteer or community service to Peninsula residents.
“We are very pleased to support this celebration of Peninsula volunteers,” says News Review publisher Jim Parker. “Volunteers are the backbone of our society and they can’t be recognized enough for the selfless work they do.”
Up to six awards — including a $1,000 scholarship for the recipient of the youth award — will also be presented for volunteer work in the categories of:
• Service to Seniors — for service that improves the quality of life for Peninsula seniors;
• Service to Children and Families — for services that benefit children, youth or families on the Saanich Peninsula;
• Outstanding Youth Volunteer — for exemplary service by a youth aged 14-19 within their Saanich Peninsula school or community;
• Overall Service to the Community — for outstanding efforts in a variety of volunteer activities on the Saanich Peninsula;
• Community Service or Project by a Group — for a service or project provided by a group that benefits the Saanich Peninsula community, and;
• Lifetime Achievement — for outstanding volunteer service on the Saanich Peninsula community over a lifetime.
Jan. 30 is the nomination deadline.
“We’re lucky to live in a place where people care for one another and work together to make things better,” said Penny Thomsen, a North Saanich resident who chairs Beacon Community Service’s volunteer Board of Directors. “Volunteers are usually at the heart of that – without them, a lot of really important work would be left undone.
“Hearts of the Community awards is a way to celebrate and thank them for making our Peninsula communities so strong and vibrant.”
All nominees will be honoured at a special community luncheon on Feb. 21.
Nomination forms are available at www.beaconcs.ca or at the Peninsula News Review office, Beacon’s Third Street office, the SHOAL Activity Centre, or any Beacon Peninsula thrift shop.
Nominations are due by 4 p.m. Jan. 30.
— with files from Kerry Readshaw, BCS