Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O’Keeffe said volunteers are the lifeblood of the community. “Volunteers work across a wide range of sectors, including emergency services, education, sport, environment, the arts and many more,” Cr O’Keeffe said.
“Last year’s winners volunteered across a range of sectors and made a wonderful contribution to all areas of our society. I strongly encourage anyone who knows of a volunteer to nominate them for an award so they can be recognised for their contribution to our community.”
Last year’s Long Serving Volunteer winner, Jane Tremellen, said “To be nominated for the Long Serving Volunteer award was an honour in itself, but to win it was a real shock. I was up against some really awesome people who had contributed great things to their community. I love being a Joey Leader and giving my time to it has been really rewarding. To be recognised for that is just the icing on the cake.”
Nimi Jumapili, last year’s Female Youth Volunteer winner said “I am truly grateful for organisations such as Word and Mouth and Leaders of Youth Diversity and Action (L.Y.D.A) for they have influenced and mentored me to be the best youth member of the community. This has played a key role in boosting my confidence and has greatly decreased my fear of public speaking. I would like to encourage youth in Greater Shepparton to be more involved and active within the community, whether it is through volunteering, sporting clubs, after school activities or even at your place.”
There are six categories for the awards; volunteer team, male volunteer, female volunteer, youth volunteer (for people aged between 12 and 25), rural volunteer (for towns with under 5,000 residents) and long serving volunteer. Nominations for the awards close Friday 27 April.
An awards presentation will be held during National Volunteer Week in May. Nomination forms are available from council’s website here or from Council’s Customer Service Counter, or by contacting Council’s Neighbourhoods Department on (03) 5832 9700.