There are many people in our community who have chosen to act in recognition of a need, with an attitude of social responsibility and without concern for monetary profit. These people go beyond one’s basic obligations giving their time, efforts and talent and often their money to a need or cause.
I believe that recognizing only one or two citizens a year, through the Citizen of the year Award is not adequate. Our city has dozens of people who have devoted a lifetime helping all types of organizations and will never be recognize because of the current system.
I would like to see one person from each organization recognised every year as CITIZENS and not Citizen OF THE YEAR. This is not a contest; this is recognition for our volunteers’ dedication, those who go the extra mile. Our people are the most precious resource we have in the community and to say that only one individual during the year made it above all others does not give us the real picture.
Volunteers should not wait 25 years to be thanked for their dedication. Many of you know of a volunteer that should be recognised and never will be because of the current system. If the current system does not serve the purpose, let’s do something about changing it.
Put away the concept of competition and find a way to thank those from each organization who constantly contribute at making our community a better place to live. They need to hear that we appreciate what they do and that we love them because of their dedication.
We want to give them a token of our appreciation. If you think we should change the system, please contact the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce who organize the Citizen of the Year Award and tell we want to see recognition, not competition.
Marie Morrell – Cornwall Ontario
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Well said Marie. We have many community members who give their time and talent for various organizations. Lucky for many of us they do so because they are passionate about a cause or work and are not concerned about the recognition. I believe what we all need to do is show our appreciation to those around us who enrich our lives and community by expressing our heartfelt thanks for their contribution. Thank you Marie for all the work that you do to make this a better community.