STAR Awards

Winner Stories | List of Past Winners

Congratulations to all of our winners! Winner stories will be posted periodically as they become available from our partner, MLive Media Group/Kalamazoo Gazette.

Volunteer Manager of the Year – John Hilliard

Youth Volunteer – Katie Short

Youth Volunteer Group – Girls of Grace/I Am

College Volunteer – Brooke Hill

Young Adult Volunteer – Jake O’Brien

Adult Volunteer – Bev Miner Edwards

Senior Volunteer – Robert Crissman

Adult Volunteer Group(tie) – Borgess Home Health & Hospice Volunteers

Adult Volunteer Group(tie) – The Bridge in Allegan

Employee Volunteer Group – Current & Retired Pfizer Volunteers at Loaves & Fishes

Family Volunteer Group – Bethany Christian Services Interim Foster Care Families

Career Volunteer -Valerie Denghel

Community Leadership – Barb Gillespie

Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement Award – Warren J. Lawrence

The Sharing Time And Resources (STAR) Awards recognize outstanding volunteers who exemplify the essence of volunteerism. Each year, individuals and groups from the Kalamazoo County area are recognized for their volunteerism during the year.

Nominations are open annually during the month of January.

Since its inception in 1986, Volunteer Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo Gazette have co-sponsored the annual STAR Awards program to recognize the contributions of the outstanding volunteers who exemplify the spirit of volunteerism.

We encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to nominate an outstanding volunteer for community wide recognition at the annual STAR Awards program. Winners receive special recognition through feature stories published in the Kalamazoo Gazette, plus awards that are presented during the official program, scheduled during National Volunteer Week each year at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.

Nominations are open in January of each year.

The following list represents the variety of categories that are available.

Nominations

Nomination forms are only available during the open nomination period, which takes place during the month of January each year. There are separate nomination forms for nominating an individual, making a nomination for the Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement Award and nominating a group.  Please click here for information on how to make a nomination. If you have questions, please email us prior to submitting your nomination.

Award Categories:

Service hours, in all categories, are accumulated during the calendar year prior to the award year. Age criteria are effective December 31, of the year prior to the award year.

Youth Volunteer:
A person 18 years or younger.

Youth Volunteer Group:
An organized group of persons ages 18 years or younger.

College Volunteer:
Student enrolled in any college or university located in the Kalamazoo Gazette’s circulation area.

College Volunteer Group:
Organized group of students enrolled in any college or university located in the Kalamazoo Gazette’s circulation area.

Young Adult Volunteer:
Individual age 19 – 30.

Adult Volunteer:
Individual age 31 – 64.

Adult Volunteer Group:
Organized group of individuals who are older than age 18.

Senior Volunteer:
Individual age 65 or greater.

Family Volunteer Group:
An organized family group.

Employee Volunteer Group:*(new in 2011)
Organized group of co-workers volunteering from one business/organization.

Career Volunteer:
A person volunteering 1,000 hours or more, with one or more organizations during the calendar year prior to the award year.

Community Leadership:
Individual that demonstrates volunteer leadership, by managing and influencing programs at more than one organization.

Irving S. Gilmore Lifetime Achievement Award:
A person whose dedication and breadth of service has profoundly influenced the community over his/her lifetime.

Volunteer Manager of The Year:
Individuals serving as a volunteer manager (paid or unpaid) for a nonprofit that serves the Kalamazoo Gazette’s circulation area.

Questions? Please call Volunteer Kalamazoo at 269.382.8350 or email.

Sponsors

A special thank you to our partner of this program since 1986: