JVN Heartbeat of the Community Awards 2018

The JVN Heartbeat of the Community Awards 2018

Click here to download the Awards brochure

This year's JVN Heartbeat of the Community Awards were held in North London on Wednesday 31st October.

It has long been said that volunteers are the glue that holds the community together. From generation to generation, members of the UK Jewish community have given their time, knowledge and wisdom to uphold the institutions, values and organisations that form its fundamental building blocks. Volunteers truly are the Heartbeat of the Community and we are fortunate that this Heartbeat is as strong and as healthy today as it ever was.

The JVN Heartbeat of the Community Awards recognised the most dedicated and impactful volunteers that make a unique and unparalleled difference to the lives of others. We recognise volunteering in nine categories pertinent to our work.

To be nominated for one of our Awards is an honour in itself as it demonstrates that the charity or individual making the nomination truly values the volunteer’s contribution and places them on a par with other outstanding volunteers. Although there could only be one winner of each Award, we also recognised some worthy runners-up. The winners were chosen after careful deliberation by our Independent Judging Panel, adeptly chaired by Dame Mary Marsh. This year’s winners truly stand out as all Judges agreed that the quality of nominations was particularly high this year. They were:

• Project ImpACT - The Investec Award for Innovation in Volunteering
• Trevor Alexander - The Bridging Trust Award for Interfaith Volunteering
• Camille Compton - The JVN Awards for Overseas and International Volunteering
• Daniel Gillis - The JVN Kitemark Award for Good Practice in Volunteer Manegement
• Jonathan Middleburgh - The Charity Bank Award for Outstanding Charity Leadership
• Chaya Hoff - The Daniel Levy Grove Award for the Rising Star in Volunteering
• The Childs Hill Library Volunteer Team - The Barbara Rosenblatt Award for the Outstanding Volunteer Team
• Rivka Bick - The Apelt and Lazarus Charitable Trust Volunteer of the Year Award
• Robin Woolf - The Citron Family Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteering

The Joy & Stanley Cohen Volunteers' Hall of Fame

Volunteering, as we see from those honoured at the Award, can profoundly affect the lives of many people. These effects are often felt long after the actions of the volunteer have taken place, by both the beneficiaries and the volunteer and some volunteers will leave a lasting impression upon a charity and the individuals it helps.

The Joy & Stanley Cohen Volunteers’ Hall of Fame was established at JVN’s 10^th Anniversary Gala Dinner last year to further recognise previous winners of our Awards whose achievements have had such ongoing and widespread benefits.

At this year's Awards, the winners of last year’s Graham Edwards Award for Young Adult Leadership in Volunteering (this year re-named the Award for a Volunteer Rising Star), the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year Award and the Aston Chase Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteering, were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The accomplishments of these volunteers will serve as an encouragement to others to engage in impactful, meaningful volunteering and a reminder of the different that one person can make.

Click here to listen to their stories.