Volunteer of the Year Awards - Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau

2018 Volunteer of the Year Awards

An individual or organization can accomplish many amazing things to help the community in a year. To acknowledge the efforts of the truly exceptional in the Grande Prairie and Area the Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau presents the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Awards! On December 5th, 2018 during the International Volunteer Day Celebration Breakfast awards will be presented to Outstanding Members of the Community, the 2018 Corporate Volunteer of the Year and the 2018 Volunteer of the Year!

About the Awards

The GPVSB launched the Volunteer of the Year Award in 2009. The award honours an extraordinary resident of the Grande Prairie region whose volunteer contributions in the most recent twelve month period made a considerable impact within the community.

In 2013 we added the Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award to recognize a company or business that, through its staff and policies supporting volunteerism, made an impact on a not-for-profit organization in the last twelve months.

Along with the Volunteer of the Year Awards the GPVSB presents the Outstanding Members of the Community Awards that pays tribute to individuals, groups and businesses who have improved quality of life in the community through volunteer work.

We are now accepting nominations for the 2018 Volunteer of the Year & the Corporate Volunteer of the Year.

Click Here for this year's Nomination Package!

Nomination Deadline is October 29, 2018.

Eligibility

Any individual or corporate entity whose volunteer efforts have played a significant role during the last twelve month period (December to November) and is currently volunteering in the Grande Prairie area is eligible.

What makes a good Nomination Package

Award recipients are chosen by a selection committee made up of representatives from sponsors, local non-profit organizations and the Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau.

When reviewing the nomination packages for Corporate Volunteers, we look for a high level of community involvement, the total amount of volunteering man-hours and overall percentage of employees involved in volunteering, the scope of the company’s commitment to volunteerism and the impact their contributions have had on the organization(s) they have supported the past twelve months. We also look at whether they have a corporate policy on community involvement and volunteerism. For Individual Volunteers, we look for a high level of involvement, the total amount of volunteering hours, creativity of volunteerism, the scope of the individual's commitment to volunteerism and the impact their contributions have had on the organizations the volunteered for in the past twelve months.

When completing a nomination package, we suggest that you consult with your nominee to find out what other organizations and programs they are supporting/involved with so that you are submitting a complete perspective of their community involvement. Be sure to include at least two letters of support for your nominee. Also, having letters from multiple organizations assists the committee members to understand the total scope of the nominee’s commitment to the volunteer sector.

Be sure to address all the criteria listed. The more complete and all-encompassing your nomination package is the more information the committee will have to base their decision on.

Criteria

The nominees will be judged on the following criteria:

Individual

Organizational impact of volunteer efforts over the last 11 months (December 2016 to October 2017): This could be a single project - describe the project, its importance to the organization and why their contribution was key to its success; and/or a continuation of long term dedication to an organization (i.e. generally indicated by more than 100 hours of volunteer in the time frame for an individual); and/or involvement with programs and events; and/or outstanding demontration of their ongoing commitment to the organization by demonstrating initiative and leadership.
Overall community benefit: Demonstrates ongoing commitment to volunteerism, the organization(s) and the broader community.

Corporate

Organizational impact of volunteer efforts over the last 11 months (December 2016 to October 2017): This could be a single project – describe the project, its importance to the organization(s) and why their contribution was key to its success; and/or a continuation of long term dedication to the organization(s) generally by a significant number of man-hours by their employees volunteering in the time period; and/or involvement with programs and events; and/or outstanding demonstration of their ongoing commitment to the organization by demonstrating initiative and leadership. Fundraising and cash donations are not to be considered as a criteria for nomination, but may be noted.
Overall community benefit: Demonstrates ongoing commitment to volunteerism, supporting organization(s) and broader community. They may also have a formal policy in place to support community involvement.

The award recipients will be notified by telephone of the Selection Committee's decision by (to be determined). All decisions are final.

The awards will be presented at the Annual International Volunteer Day Celebration Breakfast on December 5, 2017 at the Golden Age Centre.

*Nominees not selected for either Volunteer of the Year Award will be considered for the Outstanding Member of the Community Award, which is also presented during the Breakfast.*

Click Here for this year's Nomination Package!

2017 Volunteer & Corporate Volunteer of the Year Awards

2017 Award Winners On December 5th 2017, residents of Grande Prairie and Area attended the International Volunteer Day Celebration Breakfast to show appreciation to the volunteers in our community and around the world. The Grande Prairie Volunteer Service Bureau and sponsors presented the Volunteer of the Year Award, the Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award and the Outstanding Member of the Community Awards.

The 2017 recipients are:

The 2017 Volunteer of the Year – Dawn Torrance

Dawn Torrance was nominated by the Society for Support to Pregnant & Parenting Teens. Sacha Balaski, Volunteer Coordinator at Pregnant & Parenting Teen nominated Dawn because, “we cannot think of a more deserving person that is so selfless and kind, Dawne deserves to be recognized in a grand way for her hard work and dedication.” The Volunteer of the Year Award is Sponsored by Servus Credit Union & presented by Servus Credit Union representative Sue Luken

The 2017 Corporate Volunteer of the Year – Swiss Chalet (award accepted by Justin Sutherland)

The local Swiss Chalet is owned and operated by the Sutherland Family was nominated by the St. Lawrence Centre. The restaurant is committed to more than serving fresh food as they do their best to help the community as well. For the past 5 years, Swiss Chalet has served a free Christmas Dinner to members of the community who are unable to provide for themselves or their families and/or individuals that are away from family during the holiday season. They also host Music Mondays helping Non Profits fundraise while local talent perform for customers, have a Teams Rewards program helping local youth organizations, encourage employees to help the community by volunteering and more. The Corporate Volunteer of the Year Award is Sponsored by the Prairie Mall & presented by Prairie Mall representative Kristin Hurtubise.

Evelyn Helmrich was also recognized as an Outstanding Member of the Community but was unable to attend the breakfast. Evelyn was nominated by the Community Village.

The GPVSB would like to congratulate this year's award winners, thank everyone who attended to celebrate International Volunteer Day with us and a special thank you to our wonderful sponsors for supporting this annual event. For More on the International Volunteer Day Celebration Breakfast Click Here.