Louis Beaulieu, second from right, accepts his Volunteer Citizen of the Year Award on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. The City of Quesnel has recently announced the launch of its new Volunteer Recognition Program which it said is designed to celebrate volunteers in a different way. (Ronan O’Doherty photo)

New recognition program to celebrate Quesnel volunteers throughout the year

Each month will shine a spotlight on various types of volunteerism

  • May. 3, 2021 12:00 a.m.

Quesnel organizations using their own time and energy into making their community a more vibrant place to live will be recognized in a different, inclusive way.

The City of Quesnel is launching a new volunteer recognition program, shining a spotlight on a different category of service each month.

“This process what it does is recognizes volunteerism throughout the community whereas before it was mostly based on single person recognition,” said Coun. Laurey-Anne Roodenburg.

“We know that volunteerism is on a decline, and so we figured by doing it this way people would get to understand how big volunteerism is in our community.”

Volunteers were previously recognized by the city’s Volunteer Citizen of the Year program that celebrated its last recipient, Louis Beaulieu, and nominees Wally Doern, Debbie Knabke and Ron Campbell in April 2018.

Read More: Tree planted in Quesnel in honour of most recent Volunteer Citizen of the Year

Some forms are needed for the new recognition program but there will be no nomination process and volunteers will be recognized through the city’s social media channels.

Roodenburg said COVID-19 had disrupted their original plans of having small in-person celebrations.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re not going to look at the other plan at some point in time, but this is a good way of getting through the pandemic right now and still recognizing all the amazing volunteers that we have,” she said.

Themes selected for each month to celebrate volunteers include culture (May), adult sports (June), children’s sports (July), community environment (August), youth programs (September), agriculture (October), service organization (November), special interest (December), health and family (January), seniors (February) and arts (March).

The recognition form can be found at www.quesnel.ca/our-community/volunteer


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