Serve Washington accepting nominations for 2025 Washington State Volunteer Service Awards

Award is for service perfomed in 2024

OLYMPIA-- Serve Washington is accepting nominations for the 2025 Washington State Volunteer Service Awards.

The purpose of these awards is to honor the many acts of kindness individuals, families, service groups and organizations perform in communities across the state of Washington.

Nominations should highlight anyone who has performed any type of service—formal or non-formal—in 2024. Nominations may demonstrate any type of volunteerism such as neighbors helping neighbors, giving time to hospitals, disaster preparedness efforts, supporting food banks, delivering meals, participation in national service and those who informally give their time, care or assistance to meet challenges.

Nominations are due by 11:59 p.m. November 26, 2024.

“Volunteers are often at the heartbeat of our communities, driving positive change and making a lasting impact in countless ways,” said Trish Almond, executive director for Serve Washington. “Their selfless dedication not only strengthens our neighborhoods, but also inspires others to get involved. As we open the nomination period for this year’s Washington State Volunteer Service Awards, we encourage everyone to take a moment to recognize those individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve others. It’s though their generosity of time and spirit that we build a stronger, more connected community for all.”

Serve Washington will select one individual and one volunteer group or program for an award in each of the following regions:

• Peninsula/Coastal:Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Pacific and Kitsap counites
• South Puget Sound: Mason, Thurston, Pierce and Lewis counites
• Southwest: Cowlitz, Skamania, Clark and Wahkiakum counties
• South Central: Benton, Franklin, Kittitas, Klickitat, Walla Walla and Yakima counites
• Southeast: Adams, Whitman, Garfield, Columbia and Asotin counites Northeast: Ferry, Stevens, Pend Orielle, Lincoln, and Spokane counites
• North Central: Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas and Grant counites
• North Puget Sound: King and Snohomish counites
• Northwest: Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island counties

These regions are set by the Nonprofit Association of Washington and 501 Commons, which are two of Serve Washington’s primary partners who support community-based volunteerism.

Serve Washington has also taken steps to make participation in the awards more equitable. For many years, award ceremonies were held exclusively on the Washington State Capitol Campus in Olympia. In 2023, Serve Washington removed barriers for award recipients such as time and costs associated with travel by participating in local and regional recognition activities honoring each recipient.

“At Serve Washington, we believe that volunteer recognition should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their location or financial situation,” Almond said. “By removing barriers like the time and cost of travel, more volunteers can participate in local recognition efforts. This shift not only makes the event more equitable, it allows us to celebrate the dedication and impact of volunteers in the communities where they serve. It’s a step toward inclusivity and honoring the contributions of all who give their time to make a difference."

Under the governor’s Executive Order 16-08, Serve Washington is responsible for making service part of the lives of all Washingtonians. Volunteer recognition activities are part of this duty.

How to submit your nomination: Submit your nomination online. We strongly encourage you to review the nomination guidelines [PDF] before submittting your nomination. If you have questions or need the nomination form and guidelines in an alternate format, please call (360) 902-0656 or email servewa@ofm.wa.gov.

Technical assistance: Serve Washington will be hosting a virtual technical assistance session from noon to 1 p.m. Tues. Oct 15 on Zoom that gives an overview of the nomination process and form and to answer questions. There’s no need to register; use this link to join the webinar at the scheduled time. A recording of the session will be linked to Serve Washington's Washington State Volunteer Service Awards webpage afterwards.

Learn more: Read a list of FAQs on the Washington State Volunteer Service Awards webpage.