Four volunteers went home with the city's top honors Wednesday night after being feted at the 26th annual City of Newark Volunteer Recognition Ceremony.
While many volunteers were recognized for their dedication to the community, only four Viola Blythe Award winners were named.
The Group Award went to the Newark Library Teen Advisory Group, an entity dedicated to advising the teen library assistant on the library's young adult programs, collection development and non-required reading list at the .
The Senior Award was given to Stephen Francis for his commitment throughout the community. He has served as a National Little League coach, a Booster Club member and a Farmer and Farmarettes member. He often volunteers at the , too.
The Youth Award was presented to Victor Verdugo, who has volunteered with the Newark Library and founded the Summer Reading Buddies program, in which teens help preschool and elementary school children improve their reading skills.
And the Viola Blythe Volunteer of the Year Award went to Tim Jones, a volunteer with the city's Graffiti Abatement Team.
The award winners were chosen by a committee whose members are not affiliated with Newark. The ceremony was held at the .
Newark Patch plans to do separate features on the award winners in the upcoming weeks.
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