JVN says "thank you" to volunteers

Volunteers' achievements were celebrated by the Jewish Volunteering Network at the Arts Depot in north Finchley.

The shortlisted nominees, selected from a pool of 120 nominations from 60 charities and representatives from their charities, watched as the winners were announced in each of the 10 categories.

The award categories varied extensively to cover all forms of volunteering, including volunteering overseas, innovation in volunteering and friend of the community, awarded to a member of the non-Jewish community. Also presented were the coveted and ever-popular Volunteer of the Year and Team of the Year Awards, plus the Lifetime Achievement in Volunteering Award, in memory of JVN co-founder the late Dr Judy Citron. Each award winner received a trophy and all shortlisted nominees received certificates to acknowledge the contributions they make to the community.

Marsha Gladstone, who won the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year Award, said in her acceptance speech: “We have so much to be proud of, but I wonder how many people are really aware of the huge role volunteers play in making that great success of these organisations possible.”

JVN chairman David Lazarus explained that the purpose of the awards was not only to showcase the vast array of volunteering going on in the community, but moreover “to collectively show that volunteers are respected, that they are important and that they are truly valued”.

The awards were sponsored by the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation and the Big Lottery Fund.
The ceremony was compèred by the Times journalist Lord Daniel Finkelstein and musical entertainment was provided by acapella group The Four Sons.

List of winners
The Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation Volunteer of the Year Award
Marsha Gladstone

The Children's Aid Committee Award for Youth Volunteering
Joseph Malinsky

The Grove Award for Young Adult Leadership in Volunteering
Eliezer Gilbert

The Citron Family Award for Lifetime Achievement in Volunteering
Alan Lazarus

The Bircham Dyson Bell Volunteer Friend of the Community Award
Jack Tailor

The Bridging Trust Award for Interfaith Volunteering
Bonny Newman

The Ros Preston Award for Overseas and International Volunteering
Artur Livshyts

The JVN Award for Voluntary Contribution to Charities Supporting Causes in Israel
Marc Lester

The JVN Award for Innovation in Volunteering
Michelle Tamir

The Aston Chase Volunteer Team of the Year Award
The Jami Hospital Visiting Team