Ottawa Festivals Presents 2013 ScotiaMcLeod Volunteer of the Year

OTTAWA, Ontario - May 24, 2013 - PRLog -- Yesterday at the annual Ottawa Festivals Launch of the Festival Season, Mayor Jim Watson presented the 2013 ScotiaMcLeod Volunteer of the Year award to John Cvetan, who has selflessly and with enthusiasm, dedicated 17 years to the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival.  Honourable mentions also go to the following four finalists for their committed volunteerism:

1.   Grace Smith, Ottawa Folk Festival
2.   Linda Wood, Magnetic North Theatre Festival
3.   Howard Waserman, Capital Vélo Fest
4.   Payton Kennedy, Ottawa Fashion Week


“Volunteers are the lifeblood of the festival sector,” says Barb Stacey, Executive Director at Ottawa Festivals, “Without their enthusiasm and commitment, many of the events simply would not happen. We would like to thank ScotiaMcLeod and The Crawford Foss Group for helping us recognize these deserving people.”

There are approximately 12,000 volunteers contributing over 141,000 hours at festivals, special events and fairs in the Nation’s Capital.  To help volunteers connect with opportunities at festivals, Ottawa Festivals introduced OttawaVolunteerLounge.ca, an innovative volunteer engagement portal designed to respond to members’ needs and to address the issues of recruitment and retention in the festival industry.  It facilitates the matching of volunteers with best suited opportunities, offers a centralized database for volunteer coordinators and an e-community for networking.

About Ottawa Festivals
Ottawa Festivals is a not-for-profit organization that represents 85 not-for-profit festivals, special events and fairs that take place in Canada’s Capital Region. In partnership with the City of Ottawa, Employment Ontario and Trillium Foundation, the organization manages a number of programs to develop and sustain the industry to contribute to positive benefits that impact the community.