YORK, Pa. — It's time to submit your nominations for this year's Jefferson Awards.
Founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard, the Jefferson Awards National Ceremonies are the country’s longest standing and most prestigious celebration of public service. By celebrating an individual's outstanding service, we are amplifying their solutions for others to apply in their own communities.
You can nominate anyone that is creating and multiplying good. What they do can be as simple as volunteering once in a while, or it could be like Ivy Szuch, who is engaged in volunteering for four public and animal welfare services across Central Pennsylvania.
On any given Sunday, Szuch spends hours walking dogs from the York County SPCA. Along with being the dog walking supervisor there, she also volunteers for Leg Up Farm helping kids with special needs ride horses. She also volunteers for York County Parks Department, where she stewards a trail in Rocky Ridge Park—reporting fallen trees, picking up trash and trimming vegetation along the path.
Szuch's husband nominated her for a Jefferson Award, which came as a bit of a shock to the humble volunteer.
"I kinda thought it was a joke, because I've been volunteering for a long time doing a lot of different things, and I just didn't know that it was a thing," Szuch said. "I think in a world that has so much wrong with it, just being able to give back a little bit makes it a little brighter of a place."
Szuch says she loves being able to give back and help animals find their forever home.
So you see, you don't have to change the world to do some good in your community.
From August – December 2023, FOX43 will select local nominees and highlight him or her on our news in January and February 2024.
In Spring 2024, we will choose one finalist to represent our area at the National Jefferson Awards Ceremony. The finalist chosen will receive a trip to the awards ceremony.
The nomination process is simple—just fill out the form here.