Community Volunteer Awards
Cheers to Volunteers Award
The Cheers to Volunteers award offers organizations an opportunity to recognize the important contributions volunteers make to their mission and vision. These awards are presented to selected recipients annually during National Volunteer Week Community Celebrations.
Nominations are open to all nonprofits, charitable. voluntary, and grassroots organizations in Halton region.  CDH membership is not required to submit a nomination.  There is no limit on the number of nominations an organization can submit, however, each volunteer must be nominated separately. Self-nominations are not permitted.
In 2026, nominations are open from Tuesday February 17 to Tuesday March 24 and nominations can be submitted online by following the button below. Award recipients will receive their award during this year’s National Volunteer Week celebrations held between April 19 to April 25 2026.
Halton Volunteer Impact award
The Halton Volunteer Impact Award is representative of the importance and impact of the roles of volunteers across Halton during 2025. CDH members are invited to submit a volunteer story that reflects the impact the volunteer has made on the delivery of their mission.
Nominating organizations must submit a written nomination reflecting on the impact their nominee has made on the delivery of their mission. A maximum of eight (8) recipients will be selected based on the submissions received, up to two (2) from each of Halton’s municipalities: Burlington, Halton Hills (Georgetown and Acton), Milton, and Oakville. Award recipients will be celebrated during this year’s National Volunteer Week celebrations held between April 19 to April 25, 2026.
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Use the "Submit a Nomination" button below to access the online nomination form (preferred) or send your nomination to volunteer@cdhalton.ca with the subject line "2026 Impact Award Nomination".
Heather Thompson Volunteer Excellence Award
Nomination deadline extended to
Friday March 20, 2026 at 2:00pm
The Heather Thompson Volunteer Excellence award is in honour of long-time CDH Director, Age-Friendly Initiatives, Heather Thompson. The award pays homage to a person who has worked continuously to make life better and more equitable for older adults in Halton Region.
This award offers organizations with an opportunity to honour an individual older adult volunteer or an older adult volunteer group and showcase their organization to the broader Halton community. It also provides a means of celebrating the accomplishments of outstanding older adult volunteer(s) in Halton Region as nominated by their organization.
Nominating organizations must submit a written submission reflecting the impact an individual older adult volunteer or an older adult volunteer group has made on the delivery of their mission. For this award, attending membership meetings or social events of a community service group would not normally be considered qualifying service, while manning a community crisis action phone line would.
A maximum of one (1) award recipient or group will be selected; this award may not be awarded every year.  Nominations are open to all organizations providing services in Halton. 
Kristen Harding Community Organizer Award
Nomination deadline extended to
March 20, 2026 at 2:00pm
The Kristen Harding Community Organizer Award honours a dynamic resident of Halton Region, Kristen Harding. CDH was privileged to work with Kristen Harding through her role as the Senior Manager of Communications and Marketing at SB Partners (Burlington). This award pays homage to a person who cared deeply about the people she worked with, the community she was building, and the challenges she took on. Kristen's impact on our Halton community is profound and lasting; from highlighting the many individuals who shaped the City of Burlington in the SB Partners 50th Anniversary Legacy Project to co-developing an education series focused on financial literacy for nonprofit leaders and championing CDH's Developing Community Roots program for new and/or emerging organizations. She was passionate, always had a plan, and helped to keep everyone organized along the way.
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This award offers an opportunity to recognize an individual citizen or citizen group who is/are a community organizer in Halton Region. It also provides a means of celebrating the accomplishments of a civically engaged individual or group whose efforts have identified and addressed a priority needs in the community and whose action(s) resulted in change in their local community, municipality, or the Region through their volunteer efforts.
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Nominators must submit a written submission reflecting the impact an individual citizen or citizen group who has shown a high level of achievement in their local community, municipality, or the Region. A maximum of one (1) award recipient or group will be selected; this award may not be awarded every year.
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Please see the nomination criteria document clicking the button below for all eligibility and nomination requirements.
