The Butler Collaborative for Families is looking for the volunteers in the community who are making a difference.

The Celebration of Collaboration is an annual event that aims to highlight volunteer work throughout the community and all the people who keep Butler County clean, welcoming and running.

“Whoever really puts in that extra effort just from the point of wanting to help out and care about something,” said Ken Clowes, adult community representative for the Butler Collaborative for Families. “The more nominations we get the better, because it shows the scope of how many people give back. It's always way more than we think.”

The Celebration of Collaboration will take place at 3 p.m. July 13 at the Carousel Shelter at Alameda Park, where members of the collaborative will recognize the youth volunteer of the year and the adult volunteer of the year. Clowes said that everyone who is nominated for each award also will be invited and recognized, because the collaborative wants to recognize everyone putting in the work.

“We're looking for quality recognition from other community members,” Clowes said. “Regardless of who is doing it, that letter of nomination, we'll be going through those to look at the positive qualities we like to see in the community.”

The Celebration of Collaboration has been an annual event since the BCF was founded in 1996, so this year will be the 27th annual celebration, according to Clowes. The collaborative’s mission is to provide resources and a platform for building a stronger community in Butler County, according to its website.

This will mark the fifth year for the BCF recognizing the volunteering efforts. People who are nominating individuals should write a nomination letter explaining why their nominee deserves the award. The letter should detail how and where the person volunteers, and it can include their personal qualities and characteristics that make them a good nomination, Clowes said in an email.

Nomination or letters of recommendation can be sent to the Butler Collaborative for Families coordinator at bcfcoordinator@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is June 15.