Celebrating Volunteers

Now Open! Nominations for 2021 Celebrating Volunteers Awards 

The nominations deadline is February 5 for the award categories below. Nominate a volunteer here.

• • • Business Partnership of the Year Award (Sponsored by SECURA)
    • Health Care Volunteer Award (Sponsored by ThedaCare and Ascension)
    • Walter L. Rugland Community Service Award (Sponsored by Volunteer Fox Cities in partnership with Thrivent)
    • Paul and Elaine Groth Mentoring Award (Sponsored by the Mielke Family Foundation)
    • Janet Berry Volunteer of the Year Award (Sponsored by Amcor)
    • Youth Scholarship Award (Sponsored by Community First Credit Union)

Award recipients will be honored April 18 – 24 during National Volunteer Week.

Each year we celebrate the people in the Fox Valley who go above and beyond to help make the community a better place with their gifts of time. In order to keep the community safe and healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, Celebrating Volunteers sponsors Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and NBC26 will not host an in-person event in 2021. Instead, award recipients will be honored in other special ways.

Each recipient will receive $5,000 to give to a local nonprofit organization and the youth winner will receive a $1,500 scholarship and $1,000 to donate to a nonprofit of his or her choice.

In 2020, a total of $26,000 was  given to local charities in the names of the recipients thanks to our award sponsors. Since 1998, award sponsors have given $749,500 to local charities selected by their awardees! 

2020 Award Recipients:

Chad Kazel
Janet Berry Volunteer of the Year Award
Sponsor: Amcor

Walter Zerrenner
Paul & Elaine Groth Mentoring Award
Sponsor: Mielke Family Foundation

Betsy Rachubinski
Health Care Volunteer Award
Sponsor: Ascension St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and ThedaCare

Mary Beth Nienhaus
Walter L. Rugland Community Service Award
Sponsor: Thrivent

Capital Credit Union & Pillars
Business Partnership of the Year Award
Sponsor: SECURA

Justice Moore
Youth Scholarship Award
Sponsor: Community First Credit Union