The Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Awards are Middle Tennessee’s largest celebration of volunteerism! Each May, Hands On Nashville honors the legacy of Mary Catherine Strobel, best remembered for her tireless, joyful commitment to Nashvillians in need.
It’s a time to recognize volunteers for their commitment to service in 2022 and celebrate Nashville’s giving spirit. By nominating a friend, co-worker, or fellow volunteer, you acknowledge their dedication to our community, and possibly help them receive $1,000 that they can donate to their favorite cause!
Nominations are open Feb. 1-15, and the first 25 nominators (that’s you!), will receive a $50 Hattie B’s gift card. Don’t delay!
Click here for information about this year’s award categories.
Click here between Feb. 1-15 to nominate a volunteer!
Tips for writing a nomination:
- Accuracy: The most important thing! Please double check the spelling of your nominee’s name, their age (if applicable), the organization they volunteer with, and that they are an unpaid volunteer.
- Defining storytelling: Beyond sharing heartwarming stories of your nominated volunteer, set your nomination apart by including data and a few facts! Knowing a volunteer served 20 hours a week for a year (1,040 hours!) is more compelling than “they volunteered weekly.”
Another pointer: Share the importance of your nominee’s service with their collective impact! Say a volunteer packed 300 meals a shift, once a week, for a whole year — cumulatively, that’s 15,600 meals for community members in need. Again, just a much more impactful way of sharing “they packed meals weekly.”
- Details: Don’t forget to include all the information! Does your volunteer serve at multiple organizations? Do they have a history of volunteerism? Sharing your nominee’s background tells a captivating story and helps screeners (wonderful community leaders who choose the Strobel finalists) get a comprehensive picture of your nominee and their heart for service.
- Grammar and spelling: We know you’re all very excited to submit your nominations, but please take a moment to review your nomination before submitting! Do the sentences make sense? Are there multiple misspelled words? Keep your nomination clear and easy to read.
- Length and clarity: There’s tons of freedom with the nomination form, so nominators can write as much or as little as they like to highlight their volunteer. We’d recommend two to three paragraphs to share your nominee’s story. More than a few sentences are preferred, but stories can sometimes get lost in the details. Everyone’s story is different, so please feel free to write what you feel!
Note: Not sure which category best fits your volunteer? We recommend considering their type of service before nominating for an age-based category. If their service work falls under building capacity, equity, or responding to a disaster, submit in that category! Individuals and group categories are great when a volunteer’s experience spans multiple impact areas.
Thank you so much for participating in this year’s Strobel Awards! We’re incredibly grateful to our nominators as much as our nominees, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you in May!
Remember, you can submit your nomination Feb. 1-15 on hon.org!