Community Spirit Award to recognize volunteer efforts
Purdue students Michael Leyden (left) Sean Colbert-Kelly (right) wash and sanitize furniture with Carol Ben-Davies, assistant dean of students, in the playroom at the YWCA Women and Children's Shelter in Lafayette. The three were volunteering during Purdue's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday. The day also marked the kickoff of the new Community Spirit Award, created by APSAC and CSSAC to recognize Purdue employees' outstanding service to others. (Purdue University photo/Mark Simons)
The Administrative and Professional Staff Advisory Committee and the Clerical and Service Staff Advisory Committee have worked together to create a new award to recognize Purdue employees' outstanding service to others.
The Community Spirit Award will be given annually to an A/P or C/S staff member who sets a high standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The committees timed the debut of the award to coincide with Purdue's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday, which included a Day of Service in which Purdue employees and students volunteered to help area nonprofit agencies.
"Purdue employees contribute significantly to the life and welfare of our community through their advocacy and participation in charitable activities," says APSAC member Bob Morman, who serves on the joint subcommittee that developed the award. "APSAC and CSSAC want to recognize individuals who set the highest standards of public volunteerism."
APSAC and CSSAC are now taking nominations for the award. Any organization or individual on or off campus can nominate someone for recognition. The deadline for nominations is May 31.
More details about eligibility requirements and the nomination form are available at the ASPAC and CSSAC websites: www.purdue.edu/apsac and www.purdue.edu/cssac.
The number of awards given each year will be determined by the nominations received. One primary nominee will be selected, but others may be recognized as honorable mentions, Morman says.
The awards will be presented during the APSAC-CSSAC joint meeting in the fall.
"Each and every day Purdue employees are making our local community a better place to live by volunteering their time and efforts," Morman says. "One of our goals is to encourage the virtues of civic engagement in others by sharing their stories."
