On the evening of Friday, May 21st, community members are invited to dress up for a night out at The Voluntonies, a Hollywood-style volunteer award show at the historic Capitol Theater in downtown Olympia. The Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties is hosting the event to honor area volunteers, nonprofits and other groups that are working hard to make a difference in the area.

“We want to roll out the red carpet and really give volunteers in the area the star treatment for all the hard work they do to make a positive impact on their community,” said Sara Ballard, Executive Director of the Volunteer Center.

Starting at 7 p.m., presenters will begin handing out Voluntonies for a variety of group and individual efforts that highlight some of the best ideas and strategies for volunteering in the area. A few of the awards to be given out include the Emerging Leader, Team Impact, and Inspirational Achievement Awards as well as the Thurston County RSVP President’s Awards and Movies About Change video contest.

Co-sponsored by Olympia Federal Savings, The Olympia Film Society, OBEE Credit Union, Capitol Medical Center and TCTV, the evening includes a variety of pre-show entertainment beginning at 6 p.m. and a fundraising After Party hosted by the Mark Restaurant immediately following the award show.

“We’re looking forward to making this a fun and an exciting evening for everyone,” said event planner Heather Smith.

On the heels of National Volunteer Week in April, the Volunteer Center hopes the Voluntonies will become an annual event residents look forward to that will inspire people to get involved in their community in new and creative ways. For more information on how to be a part of the festivities, call 360-741-2622 or visit the Volunteer Center’s Web site at http://volunteer.ws/