FCSS celebrating volunteers throughout region

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Taber Times

By Garrett Simmons
FCSS Communications

As National Volunteer Week approaches, Family and Community Support Services is hoping to recognize more volunteers than ever before.

Building on its successful volunteer-appreciation efforts last year, FCSS will once again roll out the Cheers to Volunteers Awards, which will include a special week of celebrations in the spring of 2025.

“For National Volunteer Week, we are hosting the Cheers for Volunteers Awards this year,” said Cindy Lauwen, Volunteer Services Coordinator for FCSS. “Folks from all of our service areas can nominate a volunteer who is outstanding in their community.”

Locals can nominate an individual, youth or a group. Friday, March 14 is the deadline to submit nominations.

Anyone who lives and volunteers in the communities within the FCSS service area is eligible to be nominated. This includes Barnwell, Barons, Coaldale, Coalhurst, Coutts, Milk River, Nobleford, Picture Butte, Raymond, Stirling, Taber, Vauxhall, Warner, the M.D. of Taber, the County of Warner and Lethbridge County. City of Lethbridge residents are not eligible for this award.

“To nominate someone for the award, you can go to our website, fcss.ca, and click the red volunteer button on the home page. From there, you will find a link to the nomination form. If you see one of our Cheers to Volunteers posters, you can scan the QR code to nominate someone,” said Lauwen.

She added people can also find a paper nomination form if they stop in at a FCSS, or email her directly.

However people decide to nominate someone, all volunteers will receive some form of recognition.

“All nominees will receive a certificate from FCSS, and those selected by our external review panel will get a specially-planned event, just for them,” said Kaitlynn Weaver, Outreach Services Supervisor for FCSS. “We will plan a customized celebration for them.”

Last year’s volunteer-award winners were recognized in a number of creative ways, according to Lauwen, who added the recipients had the opportunity to tell FCSS exactly what they wanted.

“For example, the youth volunteer who won in Picture Butte for her commitment to volunteering at the library let us know she wanted to celebrate with the library staff, she wanted her younger siblings to come and she wanted to celebrate with cake.”

In Raymond, the volunteer who took home the individual honour celebrated with the museum board members who nominated him.

Whatever type of celebration is planned, Lauwen added the volunteers who are recognized certainly appreciate the nomination.

“Most are very humbled. They don’t volunteer to be recognized – they volunteer because they want to make a difference, but it’s nice to be recognized every once in a while.”

In order to make National Volunteer Week as meaningful as possible locally, Weaver is looking for assistance from the community.

“We’re hoping to get more nominations this year and to increase awareness of the awards,” she said.

And there’s no limit to the number of community members locals can shine a spotlight on.

“You can nominate more than one person from your organization if you want to,” said Lauwen. “If you are at the food bank and you have three really outstanding volunteers, for example, you can nominate them all.”

This year, National Volunteer Week runs from April 27 to May 4. FCSS hopes to host celebrations the week before, to give the organization an opportunity to honour the winners during the official week as well.

But no matter what time of year these special community members are recognized, FCSS wants everyone to know how much of a difference these people make, each and every day.

“Volunteers are so important for making organizations and communities function smoothly,” said Renee White, Senior Services Coordinator for FCSS. “It’s really nice for these nominees to get some well-deserved recognition.”

Visit http://www.fcss.ca/volunteer-services to learn more about how you can nominate a volunteer, or contact Lauwen at volunteerservices@fcss.ca or 403-915-7063.