The Centre, Livingston has paid tribute to an outstanding volunteer by presenting him with a very special award.
Julian Korcipa, who helps out at The Vennie in Knightsridge, was handed the volunteer award and a £100 gift card in recognition of the fantastic work he has been doing to help young people at the community organisation.
The aim of the award, which has been running for many years, is to reward and recognise the great work by people in West Lothian who give up their own time to help others and present them with a personalised framed certificate and £100 gift card to treat themselves.
Julian was nominated by the sports coach at the club, Jen McCusker, who highlighted his extraordinary dedication and contribution to The Vennie, which provides educational and social opportunities for children aged five to 18, including creative sessions, bike hire, football coaching and building a community garden.
Jen said: “Julian has become an essential part of what we do at The Vennie youth club over the past 12 months, consistently showing exceptional commitment to his volunteer roles.
“Not only does he organise the free bike hire four days a week, which provides a vital service to the young people within our clubs and the wider community, but he has also taken the lead in the youth garden enterprise.
“He mentors lots of young people and teaches them valuable skills like repairing bikes, allowing them to foster a sense of responsibility and accomplishment.
“His unwavering commitment and leadership has truly inspired the young people we work with. He is a tireless volunteer and a fantastic role model, which is why he is very deserving of this Award.”
Julian said: “Being presented with my Volunteer Award was totally unexpected and such an amazing surprise.
“I really enjoy volunteering at The Vennie, which is really rewarding, enjoyable and great fun.
“It has also given me the opportunity to take part in lots of exciting projects including hiring out the bikes which has so many benefits for the young people who come to the club and coaching our new under-12s football
team.
“I’ve also had the opportunity to help out at HopScotch Children’s Charity, which provides break away trips for children who benefit from
getting time away from all the stresses of life and create happy memories.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to The Centre, Livingston for all their support and recognition of volunteers in the community and for personally presenting the Award to me, which made it even more special.”
Patrick Robbertze, centre director at The Centre, Livingston said: “We are delighted to present Julian with this very well-deserved Volunteer Award for the outstanding work he has been doing with young people at The Vennie.
“It was great to be able to present our Volunteer Award to him in person and learn more about the fantastic facilities and opportunities the club is providing for young people in the local area to help them to learn new skills and experiences, socialise and have fun.”
If you know anyone who deserves recognition and a special reward for the great volunteering work they are doing in the community, please send your nominations to [email protected].
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