About the Awards

The Volunteer Community of the Year Awards are presented each fall. The Awards are co-sponsored by the DHS Division of Volunteerism, the Arkansas Municipal League, and the Office of the Governor. These awards are designed to offer thanks and a reward to the communities as a whole (rather than as individuals within the communities) for their volunteer effort in serving their neighbors.

2007 Recipients: Caraway, Clarkridge, Dumas, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Heber Springs, Maumelle, Mountain Home, North Little Rock, Piggott, Texarkana, and Van Buren!!

Nomination Information

Nominations are solicited each summer, with a nomination period extending through early fall. Communities submit nominations describing their local volunteer activities, and these nominations are reviewed by a panel of judges from across the state. The questions that the nominations should answer are:

• What is the number of broad volunteer activities providing a needed service to the public sector in that community?

• What is the approximate number of volunteers actively working in these activities?

• What is the success of these activities in satisfying the needs of that community or city?

Communities that are chosen each year receive signs on two of the town's borders designating the city as a Volunteer Community of the Year for that year. These signs are donated to each city each year by the Arkansas Highway Commission. In addition, the cities, and their volunteer programs are the subject of a feature article in City and Town Magazine, which is published by the Arkansas Municipal League. Many local newspapers, television and radio stations, and other media, pick up on the news as well, and the communities do receive a lot of recognition and publicity for their work.

Click here for the 2008 Nomination Form

(if you have problems downloading PLEASE call or email Selena Ellis: selena.ellis@arkansas.gov or 501-682-7540)

Click here to view past COY recipients