United Way seeks nominations for volunteer awards

Alonna Gardner, left, and Leonia Barber place a new rug on the floor of the Brainerd Recreation Center's reading room Wednesday as part of their On Point volunteer work for United Way while Elizabeth Tallman, top left, director of graduation initiatives for United Way, watches. Five students from Brainerd High School volunteer each week at the center to help younger students stay on track for graduation.
Alonna Gardner, left, and Leonia Barber place a new rug on the floor of the Brainerd Recreation Center's reading room Wednesday as part of their On Point volunteer work for United Way while Elizabeth Tallman, top left, director of graduation initiatives for United Way, watches. Five students from Brainerd High School volunteer each week at the center to help younger students stay on track for graduation.

United Way's Volunteer Center is accepting nominations for its annual Volunteer of the Year awards until Feb. 24.

The awards will be presented April 12 at the annual Volunteer United Celebration, presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

United Way's Volunteer Center, the Corporate Volunteer Council and Directors of Volunteers in Agencies annually host the Volunteer United Celebration. This year's celebration will be held from 6-8 p.m. April 12 at the Bessie Smith Cultural Hall.

Volunteers will be picked based on five categories:

* Community: volunteers who help with programs that do not fall into one of the categories below, such as disaster programs, homeless shelters, churches, feeding programs, animal rescue, etc.

* Youth programs and education: volunteers who help at schools, after-school programs, day care programs, mentoring programs, or any program focused on educating or helping children and teens achieve their full potential.

* Environment and health: volunteers who help organizations or programs in the areas of human health (hospitals, disease prevention programs, nutrition education) and volunteers whose work focuses on environmental issues that impact our community (clean air and water, wilderness preservation, etc.)

* Young volunteers (for volunteers through age 19): children, teens or youth groups who are volunteering to make a difference in our community.

* Family volunteer: individuals who volunteer together as a family unit on a regular basis at any area nonprofit.

Nomination forms must submitted by 5 p.m. Feb. 24. Visit www.uwchatt.org/volunteernominations for submission forms.

For more information, call Anna Baker, volunteer director for United Way's Volunteer Center, at 423-752-0316, or email annabaker@uwchatt.org.

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