2025 Volunteer Awards presented by the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation January 13, 2025February 12, 2025 Ruth Paquin Events, General Thursday, May 15 Lambeau Field Atrium / Breakfast at 7:15 am / Program at 8:00 am Do you know a volunteer or group of volunteers that deserves recognition?Nominate them for the 2025 Volunteer Awards presented by the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation!The nomination period is open through February 14. Before submitting a nomination, please review this information on eligibility requirements and nominations in general. Made possible by the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation, along with the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and our generous award sponsors – Constellation, Georgia-Pacific, The George Kress Foundation, Green Bay Packers Give Back, and Schreiber (plus more to come) – this event celebrates volunteers and highlights the work they do to giveback to our community and assist nonprofits in our area to fulfill their missions. Additionally, funds raised before, during. and after the event allow the Volunteer Center to continue our mission of creating a stronger community by engaging volunteers to support nonprofit partners. The annual Volunteer Awards presented by the Wisconsin Public Service Foundation is always one of our area’s most inspirational events, as it highlights the amazing things that can happen when people selflessly give of their time, talent, and energy. In 2024, we gathered with over 600 attendees at the Lambeau Field Atrium for the 36th anniversary celebration of the Awards. The event recognized nominations that encompassed more than 3,000 nominees and highlighted winners and runners-up from eight different award categories. The 2025 award amounts are once again $1,000 for recipients and $500 for the runners-up, which will be gifted to the nonprofit of their choosing. Youth receive these amounts as scholarships. To read about the 2024 recipients and runners-up, click HERE. 2025 Award Sponsors and Categories Youth Volunteer AwardFor an individual who is 18 years old or younger. Students who are older than 18, but still in a high school special education program, also qualify for this category. The recipient of the Youth Volunteer Award will receive a $1,000 personal education scholarship, and the runner-up will receive a $500 personal education scholarship. Georgia-Pacific Adult Volunteer AwardFor an individual who is 19 years or older. The George Kress Foundation Volunteer in Education AwardFor an individual who volunteers specifically in the area of education for pre-kindergarten through college. Constellation Volunteer Leadership AwardFor an individual who demonstrates community impact through a leadership role. This award is often given to a person who is a current or past member of committees, task forces or boards of directors. Schreiber Heart of Gold Lifetime Achievement AwardFor an individual whose lifetime of service exemplifies notable achievement in serving the community. The award has typically been given to a volunteer who is 60+ years of age. Arts and Culture Volunteer AwardFor an individual or group that has provided service to organizations and activities that promote arts and culture in our area. Small Group AwardFor a group of 2-10 volunteers whose combined volunteer efforts have strengthened the community. Green Bay Packers Give Back Large Group AwardFor a group of more than 10 volunteers that has enhanced the community through their volunteer achievements. Information About Nominations Eligibility: Nominee’s volunteer organization must provide services for the community at large. Religious, fraternal, or professional groups that provide services only to their members are not eligible. The volunteer service for which individuals or groups are being nominated must be performed in one of these counties: Brown, Shawano, Oconto, Kewaunee, or Manitowoc. Organizations receiving funds designated by recipients and runners-up must be located in one of the five counties listed above. Organizations receiving funds designated by recipients and runners-up must qualify for 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status to receive a contribution. Volunteer service may be performed on work-release time without pay and for student course credit. Volunteers who receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses such as mileage are eligible. The award amounts are $1,000 for recipients and $500 for the runners-up, which will be gifted to the nonprofit of their choosing (provided it meets the criteria stated above). Youth receive these amounts as scholarships. Questions Included on the Nomination Form: The judges will evaluate nominations based on the answers given to the questions below. You will be asked to answer each applicable question as thoroughly as possible. Well-written nominations score higher with judges, so you’ll be encouraged to proof for errors or omissions. Community need: What specific needs were addressed and who received the services? Activity and frequency: Briefly describe the nominee’s role as a volunteer within the organization (e.g., provides client services, is a board member, is a committee leader, etc.). Include number of hours, frequency, and years of service, as well as how this volunteer provides motivation and examples of active engagement. Organizational needs and impact: How have the individual’s or group’s efforts helped meet the needs of the organization, its clients, and the wider community? Spirit of volunteerism: Describe examples of the volunteer giving selflessly of their time, inspiring or leading others, or overcoming personal or organizational challenges, etc. Reflection: Offer your personal comments about the nominee’s accomplishments and impact. Leadership (only for those nominated in the Volunteer Leadership category): Give examples of the nominee’s specific leadership roles and duties. Growth (only for those nominated in the Youth category): Provide examples of the nominee’s personal growth. Nomination Form Instructions: Nomination forms must be filled out completely. The nomination period will be open until 12:00 pm CST on Friday, February 14. You may nominate more than one candidate (fill out a separate form for each) or may nominate yourself. Past recipients or runners-up of the Volunteer Awards are ineligible to receive the award again for five years. Exception: past recipients and runners-up of the Heart of Gold Lifetime Achievement Award are ineligible to receive the award more than once. Volunteers can only receive an award in one category in any given year. A maximum of two additional supporting documents may be submitted per nomination (e.g., reference letters, newspaper articles, etc.) and must be submitted on the same day as the nomination. Please submit supporting documents to awards@volunteergb.org and put the category and name of the nominee in the subject line. Please do NOT send links to videos or websites, and do not submit DVDs, scrapbooks, or binders. All information in the nomination should be considered public and may be disclosed at the awards ceremony or to the media. Judges may request additional information from nominees, nominators, or the nonprofits involved. The judges’ decisions are final. Additional Information: A photo of the nominee(s) will be used during the presentation and may be used in promotional materials. Please submit a photo (JPEG or PNG) by 5:00 pm CST on Friday, April 11 to awards@volunteergb.org. Please put the category and name of the nominee in the subject line. Questions? Contact Jessie Sprister at 920-600-0185 or jessie@volunteergb.org. Are you ready to nominate in individual or group? Click the button below. 2025 Volunteer AwardsNomination Form Additional Sponsors 2025 Volunteer Awards Judges Kathryn Bracho / Reputation InkChad Janowski / Einstein ProjectSue Lagerman / Brown County LibraryPat Leifker / Brown County Housing AuthorityScott Petersen / WPSDanyelle Pierquet / ISG Inc.Mackenzie Shagosh / Greater Green Bay ChamberRandy “Shotgun” Shannon / WNCYBetsy Sorenson / On Broadway, Inc.Shane Stout / Discover Green Bay (additional judges TBA)