UNESCO Center for Peace in Washington D.C. has announced the recipients of the 2023 National Volunteer Day Awards. The awards recognize individuals who have completed unpaid volunteer services within a 12-month period in their communities. There are three award categories: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, which recognize volunteers for annual service, and Lifetime Achievement Awards, which are awarded to individuals for unpaid volunteer service over their lifetime.
The establishment of National Volunteer Week on April 20, 1974, by President Richard Nixon aimed to recognize the contribution of volunteers to the development of America and encourage more citizens to volunteer in their communities. The week-long event is marked this year on April 16-22. In appreciation of this event, the US Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Center & Associations, through its flagship member, the UNESCO Center for Peace, partnered with the International Forum, USA, and various community organizations to celebrate these unsung heroes who help make communities a better place to live.
The Award Ceremony, which is set to take place on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 5:00 to 9:00 pm at Bleue’s on the Water, located at 7696 Altoona Beach Rd, Glen Burnie, MD 21060, will celebrate the hard work of these volunteers.
Guy Djoken, the Executive Director of UNESCO Center for Peace, stated that “Each of these individuals have significantly contributed each in their way to make our world a little better.”
The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to ten individuals who have completed over 4000 hours of volunteer service. The Gold Awards were given to fifty individuals who completed over 500 hours of volunteer service, while the Silver Awards were presented to seven individuals who completed between 250 to 499 hours of volunteer service. Finally, the Bronze Awards were given to 14 individuals who completed between 100 to 249 hours of volunteer service.
The awardees in the various categories are from diverse backgrounds:
Lifetime Achievement Awards (Over 4000 Hours): Dr. Ajaipal Singh Gill, Elizabeth Chung, Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, Bel Leong Hong, Rose Dorsey Chaney, Mayur Mody, Rich McKeown, Check Hamala, Deirdre C. Norris, Gerald Gregory Standsbury –
Gold Awards (Over 500 Hours): Sukhwinder Kaur Suri, Gurpreet Singh Sunny, Gurdial Singh Bhulla, Daljit Singh Bubby, Parwinder Singh Happy, Manjit Singh Raju, Sukhjinder Singh Soni, Amar Singh Malhi, Devinder Singh Gill, Satinder Singh Kang, Harjit Singh Hundal, Amarjit Singh Sandhu, Ishatdeep Kaur, Sirmukh Singh Manku, Vishwanth Rathor, Harbans Singh, Maninder Singh, Prince Anand, Zichu (Lida) Wen, Chengxi (Rita) Xiang, Jingxuan (Jeffrey) Lin, Chenyao Liu, Yihan Zhang, Rebecca Wang, Tina Nayen, Sonia Reyes, Brian Smith, Charles Chan, Abdoulaye Barry, Nany Conde, Thierno Pathe Bah, Margaret Hackett, Lana Anderson, Jheni Libongco, David S. Westreich, Karen S. Westreich, Nicole Natashawilliams, Moni Gill, Jane Njagua, Justine Adeyanju, Juliana Adegbite, Raminderjit Kaur, Yong Lee, Angelle Kwemo, Emmanuel Ehahoun –
Silver Awards (250 to 499): Kangyi Zhou, Jincheng Zhao, Ethan Liu, Wenshan Li, Steven Wei, Anny Lai, Anthony Owosu –
Bronze Awards (100 to 249): Minju Cha, Shiyu Dong, Kelvin Luo, Wangruoyu (Frank) Song, Xirui Fan, Ziteng Feng, Can Li, Dinghao Gao, Elise Liu, Yen Jin, Surinder Singh, Meharveen Kaur, Akasdeep Kaur, Agamdeep Kaur, Aadjot Singh, Daisy Desouza.
