Citizens Bank and Volunteer NH announce Good Citizen Awards to honor outstanding volunteers

Citizens Bank today announced the Good Citizen Awards, a new partnership between the bank and Volunteer NH, an organization that promotes community engagement and active service. The Good Citizen Awards will recognize people who demonstrate an outstanding commitment to volunteerism and, through their efforts, strengthen the communities where they live and work.

The partnership was unveiled November 14 at Volunteer NH’s 2013 Spirit of New Hampshire Awards, held at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.

 “Volunteers are the cornerstone of our communities, pitching in to help out where they see a need,” said Joe Carelli, President of Citizens Bank and RBS Citizens, New Hampshire. “The Good Citizen Awards were established to recognize individuals whose selfless contributions have made a significant impact on communities throughout New Hampshire. We are looking forward to joining with Volunteer NH to shine a spotlight on these local heroes.”

Individuals will be recognized at a local ceremony on a monthly basis from January  through November 2014 with a $250 contribution made to a nonprofit organization in the name of the honoree. In addition, all Good Citizens will be honored at the Spirit of New Hampshire Awards ceremony in November 2014.

”We count on volunteers to help meet crucial needs in our communities,” said Gretchen Berger-Wabuti, Executive Director of Volunteer NH. “More than 314,000 Granite Staters volunteer their time, contributing hours valued at more than $700 million. By recognizing these volunteers, we hope to further promote the tradition of service in our state.”

A panel of community leaders and volunteers will judge nominations based on each nominee’s impact on people or their community. The panel will also consider the potential long-term impact of nominees’ service and how they have inspired others or contributed to a culture of volunteerism. To be considered for the award, all service must have taken place during the past 12 months prior to application.

Volunteer NH is a nonprofit organization established to promote the tradition of volunteerism and ethic of service in New Hampshire. Building on that strong volunteer spirit, Volunteer NH continues to strengthen volunteer networks throughout the state by sponsoring and supporting national service initiatives such as AmeriCorps. The organization also promotes volunteerism by providing training, a volunteer matching service and volunteer-recognition programs.

The Good Citizens Award is part of Citizens Helping Citizens Strengthen Communities, a bank program designed to contribute to the economic vitality of the communities it serves.

Nominations can be made online at www.volunteernh.org. Applications will be accepted on a rolling-basis, starting November 14, 2013.  Additional questions can be directed to Charles Caldwell, Administrative Outreach Officer at Volunteer NH at 603.271.7200 or by sending an email to recognition@volunteernh.org.