“Nominations are now open to honor Tacoma’s volunteers at the City Council’s 2000 City of Destiny Awards. The yearly honors promote the importance of volunteer service and recognize individuals and groups who make outstanding contributions to Tacoma.Highway heroes, Guadalupe Gardens and the St. Charles show project have shared the spotlight in past City of Destiny award ceremonies – along with many others. These priceless volunteers may not serve to obtain recognition, yet they deserve it.“Once again, the City of Tacoma has a wonderful opportunity to publicly say thank you to some of the people who help make Tacoma one of the most livable cities,” said Tacoma Mayor Brian Ebersole. “And our volunteers are an important part of that group.”Nominations for adults are accepted in the following categories:- Leadership: Honors the volunteer who provides leadership that inspires others to help meet a need in the community.- Sustained Service: Honors the volunteer who provides dedicated service over an extended period of time to benefit the community.- Neighborhood, Community or Cooperative Group: Honors the group of volunteers that demonstrates teamwork in a project that benefits the community.- Corporation, Business or Entrepreneur: Honors the corporation, business or entrepreneur instrumental in developing or supporting community or environmental programs. Criteria for this category includes programs initiated by management, voluntary participation and involvement of employees in community activities.- Employee or Union Group: Honors employees of businesses, unions, or governmental entities instrumental in developing or supporting community or environmental programs. Criteria for this category includes programs initiated by employees, voluntary participation and involvement of employees in community activities.Nominations for youth, up to age 21, are accepted in the following categories:- Leadership: Honors the young volunteer who provides leadership that inspires others to help meet a need in the community.- Sustained Service: Honors the young volunteer who has provided a quiet, yet consistent, vital service to others that often goes unnoticed.- Group Initiative: Honors the group of young volunteers that has demonstrated extraordinary initiative and originality in creating, designing, organizing or reinvigorating a program or project to respond to community needs and create positive social change.The City Council will present the City of Destiny Awards to the winners and recognize nominees at a special ceremony June 13 at the Theatre on the Square in downtown Tacoma. TV Tacoma will tape the program and replay it the following week on Channel 12 on both the Click! Network and TCI cable systems.The nomination period closes February 25. The Citizens Recognition Committee, made up of volunteers representing neighborhoods, labor, education, social service and business – and appointed by the City Council – will review the nominations and select the winners.To obtain a nomination form, call the City’s Community Relations Office at 253-591-5790, or stop by the office at 728 St. Helens Avenue, Room 11, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. You may also download a copy of the nomination form from the City of Tacoma’s Internet site at www.City ofTacoma.org/Destiny/Awards/, or pick up nomination forms in the City Clerk’s Office, Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market Street, Room 220, and from Tacoma Public Library branches.”