Volunteers from across New England and the State's North West were today recognised for their outstanding contribution to volunteering at a special ceremony in Tamworth.
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Among those honoured was Lona-May Dennis of the Inverell Cerebral Palsy Alliance who won Young Volunteer of the Year.
Lona-May was selected as this year's 2019 Young Volunteer of the Year for the New England and North West region for her work helping people with cerebral palsy - particularly her unfaltering support for her sister Amber.
Lona-May and Amber were the first participants from the New England region to take part in the Krazy Kosci Klimb.
The Cerebral Palsy Alliance works to service the New England area with supports such as speech pathology and occupational therapy.
They have helped Amber with precise wheelchair prescriptions to ensure maximum comfort and mobility.
The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards is an annual program run by The Centre for Volunteering which has grown to become one of the largest celebrations of volunteering across the country.
Regional finalists for the awards are announced at 21 ceremonies throughout NSW and are invited to the Gala State Ceremony in Sydney to celebrate the NSW Volunteer of the Year.
The Centre for Volunteering chief executive Gemma Rygate said volunteers from across the region had given so much to the local community.
"Your volunteers build connections for people in towns and communities across the region," Ms Rygate said.
"They help to build such positive experiences and links to services across health, education and community sectors. Our ceremony today recognises their work and gives us the chance to say thank you."
Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward said volunteers made an enormous contribution to local communities.
"A vibrant volunteering sector leads to healthy and strong communities," Mr Ward said.
"In NSW, volunteers contribute more than $5 billion to the economy each year and their social contribution is even greater. The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are a fitting way to say thank you."
