Garfield County Humanitarian Awards

Awards

The Garfield County Human Services Commission and the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners are accepting nominations for the 36^th Annual Garfield County Humanitarian Awards.  The awards honor community volunteers and human services staff for their selfless contributions that make Garfield County communities vibrant, diverse, sustainable, supportive and safe places to live, work and play.

Nominations are due February 27 at 4 p.m.

Volunteers and staff can be nominated by anyone in the community – typically peers, friends and individuals connected to the nonprofit/human services arena. Nomination support letters describe the wonderful ways these individuals help the community. Members of the Garfield County Human Services Commission choose the winners of the Humanitarian Awards. The Garfield County Humanitarian Awards Dinner will honor unsung heroes for the 36th year. This event is not a fundraiser for any agency, Garfield County or the Human Services Commission.

Nomination form

Fill out and submit the form below to nominate someone, and we will reply to request your nomination letter and letters of support, or you may send them to garfield.county.awards@gmail.com.

• The nomination form, nomination letter and at least three additional letters of support (but no more than six additional letters) must be received via email by 2.27.26 at 4 p.m.
• If any part of the packet is received after 4 p.m. on 2.27.26, the late materials will not be considered. If sending by email, we request that the nomination and letters be scanned as one document, and that you note the name of the nominee in the subject line of your email. If you need help with scanning or emailing, please call 970-893-6307.

Rules

• Only one nominee per organization or individual will be considered each year.
• Nominees may live and/or work/volunteer in Garfield County. (Given the geographic make up of our community it is not uncommon for a person to be contributing to Garfield County, while living in Eagle or Pitkin counties.)
• Past winners cannot be nominated for or receive an award.
• Past nominees who never won this award may be nominated again.
• Finalists must be able to be physically present at the awards banquet or they will be disqualified from being considered for an award (we will not consider awards for anyone who has passed away). If the individual is unable to attend, she/he can be nominated again next year.
• All finalists chosen to be honored at the Garfield County Humanitarian Awards Dinner on April 13, 2026, will be notified in early March. Tickets available soon.
• Finalists will receive a free dinner, and each finalist will have an assigned table.
• Finalists will receive a call and an email that will explain dinner tickets and other details for the evening.
• Nominators will also receive an informational email to share with the people who wrote letters of support.
• Finalists will be presented with copies of their nomination letters, a certificate and a rose during the dinner.
• At the end of the evening, the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners will announce category winners.

How nominees are honored:

The awards committee reviews the nominations, and finalists are selected. Finalists must agree to accept this recognition and attend the dinner (free of charge). All non-finalists receive a certificate of recognition and a copy of their nomination materials, including nomination support letters. Due to space limitations, non-finalists do not attend the dinner.

Each finalist is assigned a table, and may invite guests. Guests are required to pay for their dinners, and should plan to purchase their dinner tickets well in advance. Seats at a nominee’s table will not be reserved. Guests should arrive early to claim a preferred seat.

During the awards ceremony, the finalists’ achievements are recognized from the stage. Finalists receive a copy of their nomination materials, along with a flower and a certificate of recognition. At the end of the evening, the winning humanitarians are announced by the Board of County Commissioners. Each winner receives an award plaque.

Thank you for your nomination. We hope to see you at the Humanitarian Awards event on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs. Tickets available soon.

Questions

Please call: 970-309-8954

2025 Humanitarian Award winners

• Quinn McSwain – Taking Flight Award
• Dee Warwick – Heart & Soul Award
• Patricia Horwitz – Lifetime Service Award
• Rita Marsh – Wellness Visionary

Past inductees

1989-2025 winners
This event is not a fundraiser for any agency, Garfield County, or the Human Services Commission. For more than 30 years, the awards dinner has honored residents of Garfield County for their selfless contributions to make our community an ever-more vibrant, diverse, caring, sustainable, supportive and safe place to live, work and play.