Come out, come out, wherever you are. You’re out there somewhere, Alberta’s next volunteer of the year, and Direct Energy is looking for you.
The utility company and the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA) is seeking nominations for its seventh annual Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award.
“Year-after-year, we continue to be humbled and inspired by the heart-warming stories of Albertans and their spirit of generosity,” said Tanis Kozak, vice-president and general manager of Direct Energy in Canada.
“We all know someone in our local community who goes out of his or her way to improve the life of fellow citizens. It’s this contribution, often unrecognized, we hope to highlight with this award.”
The award consists of $1,000 to the winner plus a $5,000 grant to their charity of choice. Four semi-finalists will also each receive $1,000 grants for their respective preferred charities.
“We’re looking forward to once again recognizing individuals who work hard to make our communities great places to live. We’re very close to the municipalities that we serve,” said AWNA president Ossie Sheddy. “Those are the stories that we like to report on.”
According to the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, Canadians volunteered 2.1 billion hours in 2007. This is the equivalent of 1.1 million individuals working full time.
Nominations will be accepted until Friday, April 1. The award is open to residents of communities served by AWNA-member newspapers like St. Albert. Applicants can either self-nominate or be nominated by another individual or group.
No winner has yet to come from the St. Albert area or even Edmonton.
Rules and details can be found online at www.awna.com or www.directenergy.com/vcoy, or can be picked up at AWNA-member newspaper offices, including the St. Albert Gazette.
