When Qualicum Beach residents step up to help others in the community, they don’t do it for the glory. They generally do it because it’s just the right thing to do.
However, says Qualicum Beach Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Peter Doukakis, it’s important to recognize them for their efforts anyway.
To this end, sponsors of the 2011 Qualicum Beach Community Awards are currently huddling together to pick the top three nominees for Citizen of the Year, Outstanding Customer Service, Business of the Year, New Business of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
“We have a meeting on Jan. 24 and that’s when all the sponsors will get together,” Doukakis said. “They will bring the top three nominees in the category they are sponsoring and, as a collective, all the sponsors will choose the top three finalists in each category.”
He noted there is another category, the Lifetime Achievement Award, but that is being dealt with separately.
“The past presidents of the chamber collectively look at the list of nominees for the lifetime achievement award,” he said.
The deadline for nominations closed on Jan. 13 and while he wouldn’t say who has been nominated, Doukakis said the number of nominations this year is on the low side of average.
“The average since 2004 is between 35 and 51 nominations,” he said. “This year we have a total of 42 nominations for 32 different people — excluding the Lifetime Achievement awards.”
The three finalists in each category will be on hand at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre on Feb. 15 to see which of them will receive the top honour.
Even though he conceded some of the nominees have been reluctant to be recognized, Doukakis said it’s important for the community to do so.
“I think people need to recognize there are businesses and individuals that go above and beyond,” he said. “There are a lot of quiet people in this community who don’t necessarily toot their own horn and it’s important that community awards recognize those individuals. They aren’t doing it for glory or publicity. It’s just a commitment they have, but it should be recognized.”
The awards night dinner costs $35 each, although all the nominees will have their dinners paid for by the sponsors.
Watch this space for all the latest on the nominees, the awards night and the eventual winners.
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