Volunteer of the Year

The City of Whitehorse values the importance of volunteers and their contributions to our community. Since 1987, it has celebrated and publicly acknowledged outstanding volunteers by providing an opportunity for residents to recognize and appreciate volunteers.

Each spring, we invite organizations to nominate an individual as a candidate for this honour. The nominee should be someone who has made a significant contribution to an organization or to the community as a whole.

The Volunteer of the Year nominee period has now ended. Thank you to everyone who nominated a volunteer!

The nominee must:

  • Be a volunteer and not receive financial compensation for their service;
  • Be nominated by an organization that is based in Whitehorse. An organization can nominate one individual per year;
  • Embody valuable and selfless commitment to innovation, dedication, and contribution to the enhancement of Whitehorse;
  • Contribute valuable skills and selfless commitment to outstanding volunteerism in Whitehorse; and
  • Be a living individual that has been or still is a Whitehorse resident.

The committee will be looking for evidence of the following in the application. Please ensure that you include everything that could apply as the committee only reviews the information provided in the nomination form.

The evaluation guideline includes, but is not limited to:

  • Duration of volunteerism: The number of years/months the nominee has committed and the number of organizations/groups the nominee volunteers with.
  • Impact: Refers to the depth of the nominee’s contribution. Has the nominee identified and addressed a priority in their community? Have their contributions and commitment made a lasting difference?
  • Engagement: Describes how the nominee’s contributions sparked teamwork to address social, local, and community challenges. How did they engage others?
  • Challenges: Describes the challenges or obstacles that the nominee has overcome to make a contribution to their community.
  • Inspiration/leadership: Describes how the nominee became a role model in their community or in their organization. How did they share their experiences and knowledge?

The 2023 Volunteer of the Year has been awarded.

Check back here for deadline information on the 2024 nomination application.

Please ensure that your nominee is aware of the nomination. To receive the most accurate information about your nominee, please involve them when it’s time to write your nomination.

The individual you nominate will be invited to join us at the Volunteer Reception Dinner with a guest and a representative from your organization. This will be held during National Volunteer Week to recognize all nominated volunteers who have contributed many hours to community organizations throughout Whitehorse. At the reception, one individual will be selected by City Council as the City’s Volunteer of the Year.

An application cannot be processed if any of the questions are not answered, or if any items are missing.

For questions about the program, please contact us! [email protected]

Max Ayers

R.B. (Bob) Cousins

Joe Goodeill

Laurent Cyr

Alice Patnode

Pat Olsen

George Sinfield

Vic Tubman (Lake Laberge Lions Club)

Truska Gorrell

Marg Baker

Jan Kulicki

Isabelle Gow

Larry Bagnell

Ralph Simpson & Henning Hansen

Lloyd Ryder

Carol Adams

Jennifer Moorlag (Girl Guild of Canada)

Suzanne Bertrand (Whitehorse Curling Club)

Rod Hill (Rotary Club of Whitehorse)

Grant Macdonald (Crime Prevention Yukon)

Mary Armstrong (Hospice Yukon)

Michael Purves (Habitat for Humanity)

Elinore Frederickson (Learning Disabilities Association of the Yukon)

Ken Mason (Macaulay Lodge)

Shirley Anderson (Women’s Auxiliary to the Whitehorse General Hospital)

Ed Sumner (Grey Mountain Lions Club)

Gary Bailey (Kwanlin Dün First Nation)

Marg White (Athletics Yukon / Whitehorse Curling Club)

Jordi Mikeli-Jones (Kona’s Animal Assistance Coalition)

Jeff Marynowski (Porter Creek Community Assoc.)

Linda Enders (Women’s Auxiliary to the Whitehorse General Hospital)

Afan Jones (Yukon Orienteering Association)

Kim Solonick (Canadian Mental Health Association, Yukon Division)

Ashley Fewer (Rendezvous Rotary Satellite Club)

Bill Bruton (Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition)

Timothy Sellars (Canadian Ski Patrol)

Gerry Quarton (Skills Canada Yukon)