Left to right: Donna Quinn, Eleanor Woodman and Sharon Horton, former Crystal Award recipients from Sun Lakes Country Club
Jeanne Becker
Maybe you have heard about the Crystal Awards and wondered what it is all about. The idea for honoring volunteers in Sun Lakes was conceived in 2009 when meetings were held in the Splash office that included Harvey Boyd of Western Broadband, Linda Robson of Robson Publishing, Stan Scott of Sun Lakes Charities, Dee Rasmussen of Sun Lakes Rotary Club and the managers from all three Sun Lakes communities. The goal became: “to honor the outstanding volunteerism of the Sun Lakes residents for the betterment of our community.” As we launch the second decade of Sun Lakes Crystal Award achievement recognition program, the objective remains the same: So far, more than 70 volunteers have received a Crystal Award for exemplary service to Sun Lakes, and we are continuing this excellent tradition.
Every year, all Sun Lakes residents are asked to nominate outstanding volunteers to the Crystal Awards committee; the applications will be posted on the three community websites (Sun Lakes Country Club, Cottonwood Palo Verde and IronOaks) in October 2019. Then, the Crystal Award Selection Committee, comprised of past recipients from all the Sun Lakes communities, reviews all applications and makes its determination on the finalists for that year.
In 2020, the awards dinner will be held Sunday, March 8, 2020, at the Sun Lakes Country Club. The dinner venue rotates among our three Sun Lakes communities with the past recipients who live in the host community planning and coordinating the dinner and the recognition process.
So now is the time to start thinking about those individuals who you know have done outstanding volunteering, because in a few months, you will be asked to obtain the applications and submit their names for consideration.