This award recognizes an individual(s) who has demonstrated strong leadership and made exemplary and significant contributions in volunteer time to planning, construction, maintenance, promotion and/or fundraising for the City of Fort Wayne’s trails and greenways network.

Award nominations will be reviewed by a committee comprised of City Staff. Judging criteria shall include, but not be limited to: volunteer hours donated; savings to taxpayers by in-kind contributions such as maintenance or marketing; partnerships, donations or in-kind services secured; any ideas or projects that improve the trail network; etc.

Award recipient(s) will receive: A framed certificate, recognizing his/her exemplary contributions to the trail network, signed by Mayor Sharon Tucker. The City will also plant a tree in honor of the volunteer in a mutually agreed upon location along a trail. At the base of the tree, a marker will be installed recognizing the volunteer with the name and year of the award. The award recipient(s) will be announced in late fall and will coincide with a spring planting.

Nominations are due to Rick Zolman, City of Fort Wayne’s Greenways & Trails Program Manager, by November 7, 2025.

You can submit your nominations through the form below or they can also be mailed or emailed to:

[email protected]

or

Rick Zolman

Citizens Square

200 East Berry Street, Suite 210

Fort Wayne, IN 46802

• Mailed nominations must be postmarked by November 7th and emailed nominations must be received by 5 p.m. EST on November 7th.
• Nominations must be no more than one-page in length. This one-page limit does not include any letters of support or pictures.
• Nominations MUST include a reason(s) for why this person is deserving of the award. Please do NOT just submit a name. Judges need to know details of what the nominee has contributed to the City’s trail network in order to decide the Volunteer of the Year recipient.