Volunteers give selflessly of their time and talents toward the betterment of their community, and now is your opportunity to give them some much deserved recognition.

Ashe County is soliciting nominations for outstanding volunteers – individuals, businesses and organizations - through Friday, March 11, and those nominated will be honored next month.

Ashe County Board of Commissioners has planned the 25th annual awards program for Thursday, April 14. The awards ceremony will take place at Ashe County High School with a reception in the commons area beginning at 6:15 p.m. followed by the program at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

“The success of the awards program depends on the willingness of our community leaders and representatives to nominate deserving organizations and individuals,” said County Manager Dan McMillan. “The winners of the Volunteer of the Year awards are determined by the essay written describing the volunteer services performed.”

Categories for volunteers are: Individual, Human Service, Senior, Youth, Business/Industry, Organization, and Church/Religious. Please be as thorough as possible with description of volunteer services performed.

You can obtain a nomination form at the office of County Volunteer Coordinator Glenda Luther at Ashe Services for Aging in West Jefferson or contact her at glenda.luther@ashecountygov.com for an electronic copy of the form. Entry forms must be returned to Luther in person or electronically, or turned in at ASA no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 11. Letters will be sent out March 25 to those who have been nominated. For more information, call 246-2461 or 246-4347.

“Ashe County owes a great deal to the hundreds of individuals who volunteer their time in so many ways to make our county a better place to live and work,” said McMillan. “We welcome this opportunity to honor those volunteers and show our appreciation for the services they provide.”

The North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service has presented the 2011 Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service to four recipients from Ashe County. Award recipients are: United Chemi-Con, Josephine Reeves, Ilene Stump, and Shelby Roten. Read about these volunteers in Friday’s edition of the Post.

The Governor’s Volunteer Service Award was first given in 1979. This year marks the 33rd consecutive year of the award that honors people who have shown concern and compassion for their neighbors by making a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service.