Province getting ready to present volunteer awards
Tri-county residents among those who will receive awards April 9 in Halifax
For nearly four-and-a-half decades, Nova Scotia has paid tribute to its volunteers with an awards ceremony recognizing them for the work they do, a tradition that will continue Monday, April 9, when the 44th annual ceremony is held at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax.
Residents of the tri-counties – selected by their municipal units to receive representative volunteer awards – will be among those honoured in the provincial capital.
Seventy- six representative awards will be presented. Some of the larger municipal units may have more than one recipient and the overall number of awards is higher this year with the addition of recipients from Mi’kmaq communities, said Andrea Redmond, spokeswoman for the provincial awards.
Two special awards are to be presented this year – a youth award and family award – Redmond said.
The awards ceremony will help kick off a period of volunteer appreciation that includes National Volunteer Week – scheduled this year April 15-21 – when many municipalities will hold volunteer recognition events of their own. The point is to express thanks to some of the people who donate their time and effort to a variety of causes and organizations.
Redmond, who is based in Truro, spoke about the importance of volunteerism.
“Whether it’s sport or recreation or cultural activities or bake sales ... it’s being run by volunteers,” she said. “There are some large organizations that have staff, of course ... but (at) festivals and major events, who’s behind the scenes in a lot of cases are volunteers.”
The Nova Scotia government recognizes that volunteerism is a big part of Nova Scotia’s history and identity, she said.
“We have this long-standing tradition of volunteers building our communities,” Redmond said.
It’s particularly nice, she said, to see young people volunteering. The province’s message to youth volunteers, Redmond said, is “we appreciate you. What you’re doing is truly a major contribution to our communities, so keep it up.”