2012 Annual Achievement Awards

Nomination Forms - DEADLINE EXTENDED to FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 7th!

LeadingAge Massachusetts member organizations are invited to submit nominations for the 2012 LeadingAge Massachusetts Achievement Awards. These awards publicly acknowledge the accomplishments and contributions of those who exemplify and advance the missions of LeadingAge Massachusetts’s member organizations. These awards will reveal examples of the commitment, innovation, leadership and excellence within LeadingAge Massachusetts member organizations. They will be presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Membership on Thursday, October 4, 2012 at Carleton-Willard Village in Bedford, MA.

Awards will be granted in the following categories:

Emerging Leader Award**

Volunteer Service Award

Heart and Hands Award

Program Innovation of the Year Award

Excellence in Governance Award

Outstanding Mentor Award

Community Service Award

**The recipient of the 2012 Emerging Leader Award will receive a scholarship to the 2013 LeadingAge Annual Meeting and Exposition which includes complimentary registration and up to $1,000 for travel and accommodations. Every trend, every innovation, every exciting new program, every new regulation, every piece of news that will help someone LEAD and SERVE will be presented, discussed and debated. Nominate your emerging leader today.

Things to consider...

As you consider the award categories, please keep in mind the following guidelines in preparing your nomination:

• The criteria for the award
• How the nominee fits the criteria for the chosen category
• What measurable impact the nominee has had on people served by the program, staff, and/or general community
• Background information about the nominee
• How the nominee or program enhanced the mission of the organization
• Any other information that will aid in the committee's consideration of the nomination

All nominations must be delivered via e-mail. 

DEADLINE: Nominations must be received to LeadingAge Massachusetts by the extended deadline of Friday Sept. 7, 2012.

All nominees will receive a letter and certificate of merit acknowledging their achievements.

For more information, contact Sue Pouliot at (617) 244-2999 or SPouliot@LeadingAgeMA.org.

Achievement Award Descriptions

Below are the names, descriptions, eligibility and criteria for the 7 LeadingAge Massachusetts Annual Achievement Awards for 2012.  Each award nomination form has 3 specific questions associated with it.  Please answer each specific question along with 1 additional page of supporting material, if needed.  All nominations must be electronically submitted to Sue Pouliot by Friday September 7, 2012.

Emerging Leader Award** (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: Employees in a leadership role at LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: The award is given to an individual who has assumed additional leadership responsibilities within a LeadingAge Massachusetts member organization within the past five years at any level in the organization; and has worked to build a shared vision, develop robust relationships and organizational capability.

**The recipient of the 2012 Emerging Leader Award will receive a scholarship to the 2013 LeadingAge Annual Meeting and Exposition in Dallas, TX which includes complimentary registration and up to $1,000 for travel and accommodations.  Every trend, every innovation, every exciting new program, every new regulation, every piece of news that will help someone LEAD and SERVE will be presented, discussed and debated.  Nominate your emerging leader today!

Program Innovation of the Year Award (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: This award is given for the development and implementation of a creative and innovative program measurably benefiting residents/clients and or staff. The award may be given for either new innovations or for the refining of existing programs.  Examples can include but are not limited to: Quality Improvement Programs, Person-Centered Care/Culture Change, Environmental Programs, Workforce Development, Technology Advances, Wellness Programs, Palliative Care, etc.
 

Excellence in Governance Award (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: Individual or group member(s) of the governing board of LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: This award is given to an individual or group that demonstrates one or more of the following: significant contribution to the well-being of the elderly and others the organization serves; displayed a personal commitment to the life of the organization; provided outstanding leadership to the organization and the community at large; has demonstrated qualities of effective or enlightened governance; and has fostered growth and change through understanding the aging services environment and factors that may impact the future of the field.

Outstanding Mentor Award (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: Employees of LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: The award recipient shall have mentored a protégé(s) in the not-for-profit aging services field; nurtured, coached, counseled and encouraged others to help them develop personally and professionally; mentoring should have occurred while the individual was employed by a LeadingAge Massachusetts member organization.

Community Service Award (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: Individuals, groups or residents of LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: This award is given for participation in voluntary outreach to the greater community beyond the organization’s own walls or core mission of service to residents and/or clients; awardees shall have participated in either outstanding single programs or for cumulative efforts that measurably met a community need.  Examples include but are not limited to: Intergenerational programs, community education efforts, donation of facility resources for community use, outreach to at-risk youth, resident-led volunteer service projects or any voluntary activities designed to address local community needs, etc.

Volunteer Service Award (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: Individuals, groups or residents of LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: Award is given for those that have volunteered their time and resources simply for the love of giving inside the organization’s own walls, for the benefit of the member organization and community; quality of service and proficient use of talents will be considered as important as the number of hours/years served; recipient could be an auxiliary, a concerned member of the community, or a resident volunteer.

Heart and Hands Award (download nomination form)

Who is eligible: Employees of LeadingAge Massachusetts provider member organizations

Description and award criteria: The award is given to an individual who demonstrates exceptional relationships(s) with a resident(s) or client(s); relationship should provide special enrichment and increased quality of life to the resident(s) or client(s) through efforts beyond those normally considered within the position’s job description.

Tips on Writing Your Nomination

• Be clear and specific. Don't assume the Awards Committee members will understand a project or achievement. Be specific about what the nominee(s) did and how that helps fulfill the organizations mission. And be sure to explain the technical details in such a way that non-experts will understand.
• Say it like it is. Don’t worry about using fancy speech. Feel free to use bulleted lists when appropriate. Nominations do not have to be long to be effective, but please provide enough background so that the impact of your nominee's contributions is clear.
• Use concrete examples. Improvement in specific measures of quality care, anecdotes, quotations from colleagues or patrons, specific numbers or statistics about work done or residents affected; concrete details like these help strengthen your nomination.
• Include measurable results. Where possible, include measurable results (e.g., percent decrease, increase in numbers of clients accessing services, staff morale increasing, residents satisfaction increasing.).
• Consider a collaborative, group-written nomination. If you find yourself shying away from a solo nomination, then round up a colleague or two and write one together. It makes gathering ideas and writing the nomination easier.