Nominate somebody from your part of the valley for the first ever B.C. Community Social Services Awards of Excellence. The Community Social Services Employers’ Association of B.C. (CSSEA) has designed a way to recognize outstanding employees for helping some of the province’s most vulnerable people.

“We are excited to celebrate the accomplishments of the outstanding workers in the community social services sector,” said Gentil Mateus, CEO of CSSEA. “Recognizing these extraordinary employees is a meaningful way to showcase the important work community social services workers perform every day in our province.”

The program, which has been sponsored by Telus, was launched on May 1 and will recognize people in four categories. Nominations for all four awards are being accepted until June 10.

“As a community-oriented company, Telus is pleased to be a part of this important initiative to support the community social services sector,” said David Wilkins, senior account manager at Telus Business Solutions.

The winners will be recognized and celebrated at the CSSEA awards luncheon, which will occur during their annual general meeting in Vancouver on Oct. 5.

For more information about the CSSEA awards, visit www.awardsbccss.ca.

Awards will be presented in four categories:

Rising Star — an individual with less than five years experience in the community social services sector who demonstrates early success and great promise;

Hero — somebody who goes the extra mile to make a difference in community social services;

Leader — a formal or informal leader, mentor or team builder who brings fresh ideas to the social services field;

Legend — an individual with 15 or more years of experience in the community social services sector who has made extraordinary contributions to the community and to the sector.