Monday, March 9, 2009

Good as Gold ceremony calls for nominations to honor volunteer work

The University of Illinois at Springfield and the Junior League of Springfield have formed a partnership to host the Springfield Good as Gold Ceremony, a recognition event to acknowledge community members and organizations for their volunteer efforts.

The Good as Gold Ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Public Affairs Center on the UIS campus. Six award categories will be announced during the ceremony.

Nonprofit organizations are invited to consider up to two individuals who exemplify the true meaning of volunteerism with enthusiasm, dedication, a caring attitude and leadership. These individuals will be automatically selected and recognized during the ceremony as Heart of Gold volunteers.

Other categories for which an individual can be nominated include an award for Distinguished Volunteer, Youth Volunteer and Organization Agent of Service Award. UIS will also honor with Golden Star Awards one staff or faculty member and one student who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service and volunteerism.

In addition, the Junior League of Springfield will feature the winner of its Outstanding Graduate Award, recognizing a local junior high school girl for her leadership and volunteerism.

All nominees will be recognized in a keepsake program for the event and will also receive a certificate of appreciation at the event. Five nominees for the Distinguished Volunteer Award will also be acknowledged during the event with a short presentation. The Distinguished Volunteer award winner will have the opportunity to give a brief presentation to showcase his or her accomplishments within the Springfield community and will receive a donation stipend to give to the charity of his or her choice.

The nomination deadline for all of the award categories is Monday, March 30 at 5 p.m. To nominate an individual for an award, visit www.uis.edu/volunteer or email volunteer@uis.edu.