SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Directors of Volunteers in Agencies (DOVIA), Sacramento proudly announces the commencement of nominations for its annual recognition awards: Youth Volunteer of the Year, Individual Volunteer of the Year, and Volunteer Manager of the Year. These awards celebrate the remarkable contributions of volunteers and volunteer managers across the Sacramento region.

Nominees and their organizations do not need to be members of DOVIA to be considered. Nominations for these awards are open to eligible individuals that have completed volunteer service or coordinated volunteer efforts in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba, or Sutter counties over the past year. A panel of community leaders, independent of DOVIA board of directors, reviews each nomination and chooses a winner in each category. Nominees will be contacted by DOVIA shortly after the nomination due date of Friday, April 12, 2024.

DOVIA will host an Awards Ceremony on May 16, 2024, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Program Center, located at 6601 Elvas Ave., Sacramento. This event will honor all nominees and announce the winners in each category. We encourage all nominees and nominators to join us on this special day. Attendance at the Awards Event is free, please register at https://doviasacramento.org

Award Categories:

Youth Volunteer of the Year: Recognizing a youth volunteer under age 21 who has contributed a minimum of 25 hours of service between January 2023 and December 2023. The winner will receive the $500 Margaret Einspahr Memorial Award.

Individual Volunteer of the Year: Honoring a volunteer over the age of 21 who has contributed a minimum of 25 hours of service between January 2023 and December 2023. The winner will receive a $100 award for their organization.

Volunteer Manager of the Year: Acknowledging a volunteer manager (paid or unpaid) who has demonstrated exceptional leadership. The winner will receive a $100 award for their organization and a one-year complementary DOVIA Sacramento organization membership.

Eligibility

-Agency where the individual volunteered or is a volunteer manager is a charitable, nonprofit, or public organization between January 2023 and December 2023. 
-All nominee volunteer organizations must provide service for the community at large. 
-Groups providing members-only services are not eligible. 
-Service organizations must endorse nominations. 
-Volunteer service may have been performed on work release time, without pay or for student course credit.
-Out of pocket expense reimbursement is permissible.
-Volunteer service must have been performed in Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado, Yuba or Sutter Counties. 
-Current DOVIA board members are not eligible for the Volunteer Manager of the Year award.
-Nominated service work must have been performed between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023. 
-Past winners of the three awards are not eligible to win.

Judges

A panel of community leaders, independent of DOVIA board of directors and members, reviews each nomination and chooses a winner in each category. Nominees will be contacted by DOVIA shortly after the nomination due date of Friday, April 12, 2024, 5 p.m. PST.

Awards Ceremony

DOVIA will introduce and honor all nominees and announce the winners with an awards ceremony on May 16, 2024, from 4 - 6 p.m. at Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Program Center, 6601 Elvas Avenue, Sacramento 95819. We encourage all nominees and nominators to attend on this special day.

Nomination Process:

Complete and submit the nomination form by Friday, April 12, 2024, 5 p.m. PST, including a photo of each nominee.

Optionally, submit a 30-second video explaining why your nominee deserves to be honored or showcasing your nominee in action. Videos and photos will be used for promotional purposes including but not limited to the awards ceremony in May, on our website, and on our social media accounts.

For more information and to access the nomination form, visit the DOVIA Sacramento website at https://doviasacramento.org.

For More Information:

Website: https://doviasacramento.org
Facebook: doviasacramento
LinkedIn: dovia-sacramento
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (916) 542-0835

Join us in celebrating the remarkable contributions of volunteers and volunteer managers in the Sacramento region. We look forward to honoring these outstanding individuals at the awards ceremony on May 16, 2024.