Outstanding Volunteers Recognized at Awards Ceremony

The province thanked 69 outstanding volunteers across the province at the 38th annual Provincial Volunteers Awards today, April 2.

Marilyn More, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education and Minister responsible for the Voluntary Sector, recognized the volunteers, including firefighters, care workers, basketball coaches, ground search and rescue, for the countless hours spent helping others and making Nova Scotia communities better places to live.

"These volunteers unselfishly donate their time to an endless list of activities in their communities, including schools, community programs, and minor sports," said Ms. More. "Today's awards ceremony gives us a chance to show our heartfelt appreciation for their volunteerism."

In a recent survey from Statistics Canada, volunteers from Nova Scotia devoted 207 hours on average to volunteer work in 2010, the highest average in Canada.

"I'm not surprised by this statistic because Nova Scotia is known for its rich history of communities working together, and for our caring attitude," said Ms. More. "For many, volunteering is simply the right thing to do and volunteers have selflessly given their time all their lives to do what is needed."

Nova Scotia has 453,000 volunteers provincewide, the fourth-highest total, per capita, in Canada. Youth have the highest rate at 65 per cent of all Nova Scotia age groups.

"Volunteering is a way for me to create or contribute to the kind of community that I want to live in -- a community that thrives because people care enough to act," said Cate de Vreede, an award recipient who volunteers for many community initiatives such as the Bridgewater Community Christmas. "I have grown to love my town though the connections and friendships I've made through volunteering."

The work of Nova Scotian volunteers work is invaluable to communities and the province. It is estimated that volunteers' time is worth about $2 billion in services and programs to the economy.

For more information on the awards, visit www.gov.ns.ca/lae/volunteerism . The list of recipients will be available later today.