Ontario is celebrating the dedication and commitment of thousands of volunteers in volunteer recognition ceremonies to take place across the province. 

Forty-six Ontario Volunteer Service Award ceremonies in 35 communities will be held to celebrate volunteers and volunteerism.   

The Ontario Volunteer Service Awards kick off three months of volunteer recognition including National Volunteer Week, April 19-25. During that week, Ontario will host the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism and partner with the Ontario Volunteer Centre Network on the 2009 ChangeTheWorld Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge.

The awards kick off on March 25 in Stratford and wrap up on June 30 in Kingston.

 

QUOTES
           
“Volunteers are the quiet heroes of our communities – it’s citizenship in action! Volunteers strengthen not only the social fabric of our local communities but also the economic base of our great province.” - Michael Chan, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

 

QUICK FACTS
 

1. This is the 23rd anniversary of the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards.
2. Over 5 million Ontarians volunteer yearly, contributing over 800 million annual volunteer hours.
3. The volunteer rate of youth in Ontario between the ages of 15 and 24 is 63 per cent.

 

LEARN MORE

The Ontario Volunteer Service Award ceremony schedule  (ontario.ca/honoursandawards)

The 2009 ChangeThe World Ontario Youth Challenge (ontario.ca/changetheworld) encourages young people to volunteer during National Volunteer Week.

For more information on volunteering opportunities  (www.ovcn.ca)

Online nomination forms for volunteer recognition programs (ontario.ca/honoursandawards). 

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Contacts:

Coralie D’Souza,  Minister’s Office, 416-325-6204
Michel Payen-Dumont, Communications, 416-314-7010

• Backgrounder: Ontario Government Support for Volunteerism