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The odds may have been stacked against them but dozens of Sunshine Coast residents pulled through to make the region a better place to live this year.
The inspiring community leaders and emerging entrepreneurs were honoured at the Sunshine Coast Australia Day Awards on Friday for their efforts in 2020.
Whether it was for helping to save the planet or advocating for hardworking volunteers, Coast citizens were recognised for going above and beyond.
The
Photos Lions Club Mooloolaba – Community Group or Organisation Aleesah Darlison – Creative Stephen Ossedryver – Sport and Recreation Kawana Waters Surf Life Saving Club – Outstanding Achievement COVID-19 Response Award
Sunshine Coast Council
At a special ceremony attended by more than 250 dignitaries, nominees and their guests, Cheryl Harris, a strong advocate for volunteering and volunteers, was today (January 22) named 2021 Sunshine Coast Citizen of the Year.
As the Volunteering Sunshine Coast CEO, Cheryl has been an outstanding advocate for volunteers over the last 10 years. Under her stewardship, volunteering has grown significantly on the Sunshine Coast through collaboration with local government, business and strong community partnerships.
Today there are around 64,000 volunteers supporting the Sunshine Coast community in widely diverse fields.
Cheryl’s work has encompassed assisting people who were seeking paid employment to participate in volunteer work with a view to keeping skills updated and building self-esteem through the Pathways to Employment program, coordinating volunteers during a disaster event and referring potential new volunteers to not-for-profit organisations across a
Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said the nominees were a very special group and this was a chance to say thank you. Their stories highlight just how fortunate we are to have so many everyday heroes among us, Cr Jamieson said. All of our award recipients and nominees are truly deserving of these accolades. Their passion and dedication to helping those in need and our broader community is inspiring and they make a difference to so many lives every day. Cr Jamieson said there were 102 nominations in total across eight categories. These are people who really put their community above themselves very often, he said.