The VOscars is the highlight of the year for the city’s volunteers and not-for-profits. The event celebrates Ottawa’s vibrant volunteer community and gives special recognition to those individuals, organizations and businesses that have made a difference in the community.
The 2022 VOscars Awards Gala will be held on October 27th, 2022 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm at the Westin Ottawa.
Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Every year Volunteer Ottawa presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to an outstanding Ottawa citizen who has devoted her/his life to giving back to the community.
Our 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient is Marc Jolicoeur, an experienced leader, lawyer, and community builder who is recognized for his legal expertise, his leadership and management skills, and tireless community engagement. Marc served as a volunteer for numerous charitable organizations over the years, including as a member of the Boards and committees of the University of Ottawa, United Way Canada, United Way Ottawa, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Ottawa Civic Hospital, to name a few.
Previous recipients include:
- 2011 – Max Keeping
- 2012 – Lawrence Greenspon
- 2013 – Grete Hale
- 2014 – Barbara McInnes
- 2015 – Jim Durrell
- 2016 – Coralie Lalonde
- 2017 – Dave Smith
- 2018 – James McCracken
- 2019 – Dennis Jackson
- 2021 – Jacquelin Holzman
Award Nominations
Do you know someone who exemplifies the spirit of volunteering, or someone who has made a significant contribution to our community through their volunteering efforts? How about a business or organization that supports volunteering among its employees? It’s time to recognize those volunteers and supporters of volunteerism. See the Award categories and criteria below. Nomination deadline is August 22nd, 2022.
This year’s VOscars Awards include:
This Award is given to an individual or group of individuals that best exemplifies the spirit of volunteering in Ottawa.
Candidate requirements:
- Dedicates significant time volunteering on a regular basis
- Has made a meaningful impact in the community through volunteering
- Promotes volunteering in the community
Nominees in this category are young people in the community who have made a significant contribution through their volunteer efforts.
Candidate requirements:
- Be between 14 and 18 years old
- Has volunteered significantly throughout their High School years and has gone above and beyond the 40-hour Community Involvement requirement.
- Engages in, supports and encourages volunteerism in the community
This Award is given to a senior citizen who has made a meaningful impact in the community through their volunteer efforts.
Candidate requirements:
- Be over the age of 60
- Dedicates significant time volunteering on a regular basis
- Has made a meaningful impact in the community through volunteering
Nominees in this category are organizations in the private, public or not-for-profit sector that demonstrate social responsibility practices by supporting volunteering among their employees.
Candidate requirements:
- A business or organization located in the Ottawa region
- Encourages employees to volunteer and give back to the community
- Has a comprehensive, successful employee engagement program to support employee volunteerism
- Minimum of ten employees
Nominees in this category are individuals or organizations that embrace and exemplify volunteering as a way to create new opportunities, expand horizons and connect with the community. The award celebrates the capacity of volunteering to enhance skills, gain experience and increase social cohesion.
Candidate requirements (individual):
- Significant and varied volunteer experience that has contributed to personal growth and/or professional advancement
- Actively promotes volunteering as a pathway to opportunity, via professional, social and volunteer networks
Candidate requirements (organization):
- A public, private or not-for-profit organization located in the Ottawa region
- Incorporates volunteering in its programs, service offerings or internal practices as a means of supporting individual success.
- Able to provide examples, stories and/or data that links volunteering to the achievements of individuals (youth, newcomers, persons with disabilities, vulnerable populations, etc.)
This Award will be presented to an organization that has created ground-breaking volunteer opportunities, introduced new kinds of volunteering, and/or found innovative ways of recruiting, training, managing and recognizing volunteers.
Candidate requirements:
- Be a Volunteer Ottawa member organization in good standing
- Developed and implemented a new or innovative approach to delivering its programs and services with the support of volunteers
- Able to describe the impact of the changes on the operations, the volunteers and the organization’s clientele
This Award is given to a not-for-profit organization in the Ottawa region that has built a successful, thriving volunteer program based on effective volunteer management principles and practices.
Candidate requirements:
- An Ottawa non-profit or charity that recruits, engages and manages over 25 volunteers annually
Sponsorship Opportunities
By sponsoring the VOscars companies and businesses support the importance of volunteerism in building a stronger community. As well as contributing to the hundreds of nonprofits and charities in the Ottawa region who rely on volunteers to achieve their missions.
Connect with us for information on sponsorship levels and benefits.