Nominations are now open for this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Awards and Northern Sunrise County/Nampa Family and Community Support Services is looking for your assistance.
“The nominations are open until March 27,” FCSS director Amber Houle says.
“Anyone can nominate a volunteer for the awards. The nominees must be residing in Northern Sunrise County or the village of Nampa, to receive the award.”
Houle says the awards are to honour county residents for their dedication to improving community life, highlighting youth, seniors, and community pillars. She is hoping community members will nominate exceptional volunteers who go above and beyond for their region.
“We’ve got six awards in total, two for youth, two for adults 19-54, and two for seniors 55 and older,” says Houle.
“We have an easy to fill out form that’s available through our website to nominate the individual,” she adds.
Houle says the form requires the name of the volunteer being nominated, a contact number or email, and a brief explanation of how they’ve contributed to volunteerism in 2025.
“It doesn’t have to be a grandiose volunteer initiative like sitting on 60 different boards,” she explains.
“We hope to have people nominate someone who goes out of their way to shovel people’s walkways or other kind gestures that benefit our community.”
Houle says they define a volunteer as anyone who is contributing positively to their community. She explains the volunteer appreciation barbeque is going to be a little different than in years past. She says this year they will do a small recognition for the volunteer award recipients during Volunteer Appreciation Week April 19-25, but the Volunteer Appreciation barbeque will be held in May this year instead.
“Normally, we host the barbeque in April but we noticed that whenever we host the barbeque in a specific community, generally only people from that community show up,” she says.
“This year, we decided to push our main event into May and will host in at Cecil Thompson Park, so it’s a more central location. Award recipients and their nominees will be invited.”
Houle says community volunteer award winners are presented with a nice grey hoodie with their name, the FCSS logo, and embroidery that will say 2025 Volunteer Appreciation Award Recipient on it. Winners are also presented with a care package to recognize their efforts.
“We are looking for creative strategies to attract new people to volunteer,” says Houle, adding there has been a decline in volunteerism over recent years.
“We also want to reinvigorate current volunteers, so they continue on their beautiful journey of volunteerism without feeling burned out.”
Houle urges any community member to nominate a special volunteer in the county before the end of March.
To nominate a volunteer, call or email Houle at (780) 625-3287 or ahoule@northernsunrise.net.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter