This year the Bill Konkin Citizen of the Year Award Committee is accepting nominations for Citizen(s) of the Year 2019 and nominations for Citizen(s) of the Decade 2010 to 2019.
Each year the Bill Konkin Citizen of the Year Award Committee, comprised of former recipients of the award, faces the daunting task of selecting one individual or couple from the nominations received.
This year the committee will also select a Citizen(s) of the Decade. Many volunteers continue to use their time and skills for the benefit of organizations within the community for years or even decades, often for more than one cause. Our last Citizens of the Decade 2000 to 2009 were Reg and Linda Blackwell – very fine examples of committed volunteers.
The annual selection meeting usually has 15 – 20 members present. All nominations are opened, reviewed by the committee as a whole and followed by a secret ballot to select the recipient. Reviewing the nominations is often a humbling experience. The commitment and quality of effort freely given by volunteers in the Lakes District is amazing.
So pay attention to those in our community who freely volunteer exceptional amounts of their own time and energy for the benefit of us all. We know that most contribute without thought of reward or recognition, but it may be nice to acknowledge their efforts. Submit a nomination and let the committee know what they are doing.
To those submitting the nominations. Don’t be discouraged if your candidate didn’t get selected. It is not that we felt they weren’t worthy of the award, it is just that we could only select one. Recipients have often been nominated by more than one person and for more than one year. Continue to submit your nominations if you feel an individual or couple should be recognized for their efforts in our community. Nominators and Nominees will be kept confidential within the Committee.
Living in a small community gives us all the opportunity for meaningful participation. Look around. How many activities and facilities that make our community a better place to live wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for volunteers? As always, the greatest reward for the volunteers is the knowledge and feeling that you have done your part.
The nomination deadline for both Citizen of the Year and Citizen of the Decade is Feb. 22, 2020.
Look for the ad in Lakes District News in each upcoming issue for the next few weeks.
