A voice for volunteering

It is said that volunteering and serving others selflessly is most satisfying when it's done without expecting anything in return. While the thought is noble, there is a group of individuals that believes that those who devote their time and energy for others, should be recognised and rewarded. With this thought in mind, iVolunteer, known for bringing volunteers and organisations together to promote social causes, held its third edition of iVolunteer Awards ceremony at Bandra this week. 

Volunteering in India
Awards for volunteering are commonplace overseas—the NSW Volunteer of the Year Award held in Australia, the Saltire Awards in Scotland or the Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards in Canada are a few popular awards. Shalabh Sahai, Co-founder and Director, iVolunteer, reflects on the situation on the home ground. He says, “Volunteers across the nation are diligently contributing to India’s social development. However, while volunteering continues in the background, it is somehow absent from the mainstream national psyche. iVolunteer Awards aim to change this and celebrate, reward and promote volunteering and volunteers in India.” 

Voted and vetted
The awards were divided into three categories: Volunteering Hero, Leader in Volunteering Engagement and Leader in Employee Volunteering. After combing through 100+ applicants from across the nation with over 90,000 votes cast through an extensive ‘public vote’, 10 finalists were shortlisted for the Volunteering Hero and Leader in Volunteering Engagement categories, while seven finalists were shortlisted for the Leader in Employee Volunteering category. A jury panel comprising industry stalwarts Venkat Krishnan, Daan Utsav; Maneesha Chadha, Head of Philanthropy, JP Morgan India; Dr. Meena Galliara, Director - Centre for Sustainability Management & Social Entrepreneurship, NMIMS and Kabi Sherman, Country Head - Pyxera Global added credibility to the  process.

And the winners are…
Jodhpur-based Indiaability Foundation that works towards securing human rights of people with physical disabilities won the award for Leader in Volunteering Engagement whereas Intel was awarded the Leader in Employee Volunteering for exemplary social work by a corporate. Pushpa Sagar, who is counselling for girls’ education in Rajasthan was announced as the Volunteering Hero. She said, “I'm elated to receive this award. I strongly feel that when you are passionate about something, and have a strong desire to do something, you somehow manage to find the time and find a way to achieve your goal.” 
Apart from their work done internationally, iVolunteer also works with several NGOs in Mumbai relating to suicide causes. iVolunteer can be reached at Mumbai@iVolunteer.in