When your efforts foster improvements in your community, it inspires others to continue the journey.
That’s part of the reason Leadership Victoria presents the Victoria Community Leadership Awards every year, explained Mark Crocker, executive director of Leadership Victoria.
“When we celebrate our leaders who have taken action to build vibrant, healthy communities for all of us to live, work and play, we help inspire the future,” Crocker explained.
“Our community leaders aren’t on the front page of the newspaper or front and centre in the mainstream media. They are the ones who work behind the scenes to support the community,” Crocker noted. “They have been hard-pressed to hold programs together during COVID, and this is our opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments, whether it’s in one of the 13 municipalities in the Greater Victoria area from Sidney to Sooke as well as the southern Gulf Islands.”
He cited the soccer coach who devotes time to empowering kids, the people who support food kitchens during these difficult times, and the young person who launches an environmental initiative at their school as examples of past award winners.
“We all know these leaders and we’re personally connected to them. The awards are your opportunity to highlight them and showcase their accomplishments. The only way we can achieve this is through a completely open nomination process that engages the community.”
There are no age requirements for the Victoria Community Leadership Awards.
“These are people who walk around our community every day that see problems and say ‘I’m going to do something about this,’” Crocker said. ”They mobilize people and resources to make positive changes and improvements in our lives. That’s what community leadership is.”
Leadership Victoria has been around since 2001, and this is the eighteenth year they have presented awards.
There are 10 categories for nominations, including Healthy Standard of Living, Thriving Children and Youth, Lifelong Learning, Belonging and Engagement, Flourishing Safe Environments, Health and Wellness, Extending Reconciliation, Arts and Culture, Getting Started in our Community, and Innovate Science and Technology.
The deadline for nominations is Feb. 15, and Crocker wants to encourage everyone to take a few moments to shine a light on those leaders that make our community a better place for everyone.
To make a nomination for the Victoria Community leadership Awards and a look at the criteria for each category, visit www.leadershipvictoria.ca and click on Nominate a Leader.
Check out www.leadershipvictoria.org for more information on the organization and the leadership programs it supports in the community..