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Encouraged by last year's enthusiastic response to the Heart of Gold Awards, the Kosciusko County Foundation is hoping to increase the number of nominations they receive.
"We're confident we can get double the number," Julie Bowers, a member of the organizing committee, said Tuesday at a press conference.
The Heart of Gold Awards recognize people who go "above and beyond the call of duty," said Suzie Light, director of the Kosciusko County Foundation. "It doesn't have to be somebody who volunteers for an established organization - it can be a kid in the neighborhood who shovels snow for elderly people."
"We just want to know about the simple things people do to brighten the lives of others," committee member Pam Messmore said.
Ten award winners will receive monetary grants that they can then donate to any charity they choose, Light said. "This gives other people in the community a chance to do grant-making."
Last year, which was the first year for the awards, the committee received 118 nominations. The award winners included a high school senior who was active in DARE; a Sunday school teacher who has donated nearly 15 gallons of blood; a 4-H junior leader; and the chairwoman of the 1996 United Way campaign.
The two top winners receive $1,000 grants; four receive $500 grants; and four get $250 awards. The Heart of Gold winners in 1997 donated their awards to such organizations as the American Red Cross of Kosciusko County, Sacred Heart Elementary School, the Cardinal Center and Boys and Girls Club of Kosciusko County.
Light emphasized that the information submitted, not the form, is important.
"It's not an essay contest. Tell us your story - tell us what this person did," she said.
Applications should be submitted to the Foundation by March 27, and the award winners will be announced at a reception on April 22.
The review process for the applications is "blind," Light said, meaning that the 12 review committee members will not know the names of the nominees until their choices are made.
The awards are funded with some of the income received from two unrestricted endowments, Light said. The idea for the Heart of Gold Awards is modeled after a similar program in Whitley County.
Bowers said the awards are important because they encourage volunteerism.
"If volunteers are recognized, it could encourage them to continue and encourage others to do the same," she said.
