Local ‘Be More’ awards nominations due Tuesday

Time is running out to nominate a volunteer for the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network “Be More” Awards.

The deadline for nomination forms is 5 p.m. Feb. 1.

“We want to find some of the volunteers that have been really active in the community, so we can celebrate and shed light on their work,” said Bet Savich, director of the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network. “We want the whole community to know about both the volunteers and the agencies they represent.”

Winners will be announced at the “Be More” Awards Celebration on April 5 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Every winner will receive $500 for their project or volunteer agency.

“The winners love receiving the money for the organizations that they’re so passionate about,” Savich said.

Savich said any campus group that has done volunteer work can be nominated.

“We definitely want college students to be nominated,” Savich said.

One of the nine categories is specifically designated to recognize the work of an IU or Ivy Tech Community College volunteer. However, college students may win in any of the nine categories.

There were several IU student nominees for last year’s awards ceremony.

IU senior Allison Lester was one of the volunteers nominated last year. She worked for the nonprofit fair trade store Global Gifts.

“The nomination was really nice, and it surprised me. It was really out of the blue,” Lester said. “I always thought of the work I did at Global Gifts as something to do with my friends a couple of hours each week.”

Volunteers are often nominated without their knowledge. Lester said she was notified of her nomination last year through a Global Gift e-mail newsletter.

IU student Matthew Brown was also nominated for his work with Global Gifts last year.

An independent panel of judges evaluates the nominees’ applications.

Some of the judges are representatives from the “Be More” Awards’ sponsors such as United Way, the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, WTIU and IU Credit Union.

“It’s the hardest job I do,” said Renee Chambers, program director of the Community Foundation. “You see so many people who do amazing things. It’s hard to choose just one.” 

Typically 85 to 90 volunteers or volunteer groups are nominated each year for the nine award categories. They range in both age and types of projects they’ve completed.

“People in Bloomington have a very can-do attitude,” Savich said. “If they see a lack in the community, they’ll start a group to address the need, it’ll often become a non-profit, and people will join with others to help.”