Emo bid to host awards falls short

EMO—It’s Atikokan, not Emo or Fort Frances, that will host the banquet where regional volunteers will be recognized by the Ontario Volunteer Service Awards.
Emo Chamber of Commerce president Colleen Vennechenko explained at Monday’s meeting that the community which nominates the most volunteers hosts the banquet—and Atikokan accounted for 65 percent of the nominations in the region.

Emo and Fort Frances collectively held 30 percent of the nominations.
“They do have a lot of clubs in Atikokan,” Vennechenko noted, adding the awards banquet has been held there in the past.
“Hopefully we’ll have more next year.”
Since learning about the awards last year, Vennechenko initiated a push for organizations in Emo to nominate their faithful volunteers.
The awards, instituted by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, help to ensure volunteers from across the province receive the recognition they deserve.
“We have a lot of volunteers here,” Vennechenko had said back in November. “Let’s see if we could get Emo ‘up there. . . .’
“I just think Emo can do this. I see a lot of people who deserve it,” she had added.
Vennechenko indicated Monday that the Chamber, as well as the Emo Walleye Classic committee, Emo-Devlin-Barwick Minor Hockey, the Township of Emo, and Emo Legion Br. #99 had submitted nominations.
“I’d like to push it again next year and see if Emo can host the banquet—I’d really like to see that,” she remarked.
“She [Vennechenko] put on quite an effort to get this going,” noted Chamber member Paul Koomans. “And we’ll have that momentum for next year.”
He suggested at the end of the year, when the nomination forms become available, they should make a list of the organizations in the community.
“We should make it easier for people to nominate,” he reasoned.
Any volunteer who has contributed consecutive years of service to a single group within Ontario, and has not received payment, is eligible for nomination.
Groups that have been in existence for a minimum of five years may nominate up to seven volunteers each, and also are encouraged to nominate at least one youth volunteer.
Deserving candidates are selected by the ministry and then presented with stylized trillium pins and personalized certificates at ceremonies across the province.
The banquet in Atikokan will be held May 8, with a similar one being held in Kenora on May 10.
“Nominees from Emo are able to choose which banquet they’d like to attend,” Vennechenko noted. “But it would be nice if everyone from Emo went to the same place.”
While a decision was not made Monday as to which banquet they would attend, Vennechenko indicated those volunteers who were nominated will be getting a letter soon to inform them of the honour.