A county volunteer awards program has come to an end.
County council acknowledged the end of the annual County of Wellington Appreciation Awards program after receiving a letter from Christine Oldfield, executive director of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington indicating the group would no longer participate due to a decline in annual nominations.
“For the past eight years the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington has worked alongside Wellington County staff to coordinate and deliver a great award program,” Oldfield said in her letter.
“During this time we have successfully profiled over 50 individuals and groups that have made outstanding contributions to their communities through volunteerism. While we are happy with this past success, we have decided that we will not continue with the program this year.”
She added, “We have seen a decrease in nominations over the past few years and recognized that a number of the towns/townships now run their own award programs.
“The Volunteer Centre is focusing attention on those projects and initiatives that most closely align with our strategic goals, one of which is to help strengthen the capacity of community organizations to manage and recognize volunteers on their own. We believe the fact that various towns and townships have created their own programs is an excellent example of this local leadership.”
Past recipients of the award from Mapleton have included: Rob McKay, Walter Grose, Paul Day and Ray and Ruth Grose.
