It’s a night to celebrate the incredible contributions and achievements that community members across Kelowna made in 2018.
“We have categories for arts and the environment, for volunteer service organization of the year,” said community development coordinator for the City of Kelowna, Melina Moran. “We have categories for athletics and, of course, man and woman and the young female/male awards.”
Last year, 18 people and organizations were recognized at the Civic and Community Awards, including Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, a non-profit that was awarded Volunteer Organization of the Year.
“We are a search and rescue organization, actually the oldest search and rescue organization, in the province,” said former president and current search manager of COSAR, Ephraim Nowak. “We’re composed entirely of volunteers that go out and perform medical rescues and search for people that are missing and we bring these people home to their families.”
An outfit run entirely on volunteers is exactly the type of organization that the city is hoping will be nominated this year.
“Last year, we put in close to 14,000 volunteer hours, spread between 50 people,” Nowak said.
The team at COSAR was thrilled to receive the award for 2017.
“Because we are a community organization and we are very involved in the community, having that support and recognition was really nice for our team,” Nowak said.
But the city needs help finding the hidden gems who make a difference with their dedication and generosity.
“We have a lot of silent heroes in our community that we don’t know about,” Moran said. “If you know of a person, maybe your friend, your coworker that volunteers a lot of their time or items or services that they give to an organization that helps them provide their core services, we want to know about them.”
Recognition, like the type received at the annual awards, can be very meaningful to the people that dedicate their time and lives to help others.
“There are a lot of fantastic organizations here in Kelowna and all of the past recipients have been amazing,” Nowak said. “So definitely go vote for these organizations.”
Another way to get involved? Come cheer on the winners.
“The awards night is Apr. 24 at the Kelowna Community Theatre and it’s an opportunity to celebrate all the finalists and of course the recipients,” Moran said.
There are six award categories:
Honour in the Arts
Citizens of the Year
Sports
Volunteer Organization of the Year
Corporate Community of the Year
Champion of the Environment
To submit a nomination, visit the city’s website for a simple and quick three-question form.
Deadline for the 44th annual Civic and Community Awards nominations is Feb. 8.