Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award - Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must meet the following criteria:

• they are Canadian citizens;
• there is evidence that the spirit of volunteerism has played a significant role throughout their lifetime;
• their volunteer efforts have enabled fellow Canadians to participate in the workplace and/or their communities;
• they have demonstrated leadership, creativity, cooperation and hard work in advancing a social cause; and
• they have created effective partnerships with the public, private and voluntary sectors, local communities and/or governments.

The Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award is open to all Canadian citizens, with the exception of members of the Thérèse F. Casgrain Foundation, elected officials of government while serving in office, past recipients of the award and employees of Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Candidates will not be considered posthumously.

Nomination Submission Guidelines

• Nominations for the Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award may be submitted by an organization or three individuals who are not related to the candidate.
• Nominations must be postmarked by February 1 each year. Late entries will be put towards the following year's award.

Submit your nomination to:
Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award Secretariat
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
333 North River Road
Place Vanier, Tower A, 2nd Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0L1

The nomination package (including photographs and newspaper clippings) must be submitted on 8.5" x 11" sheets, typed, reproduced or clearly written in dark ink. When submitting lengthy articles, it is useful to highlight the relevant sections. As well as a description of the candidate's volunteer efforts and the supporting documentation, nominations must include the completed nomination form; the completed consent form, signed by the candidate; and a résumé of the candidate's paid work. Nominations must be submitted in their entirety and must not exceed 50 pages in length: only the first 50 pages will be reviewed. Additional enclosures such as cassettes, videotapes, diskettes and CDs will not be reviewed.

The Selection Process

Nominations are evaluated by the National Selection Committee, which is an independent body. The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development makes the final selection based on the recommendations of the National Selection Committee.

Nominations are evaluated solely on the contents of the nomination form and supporting documents.