The Be More Awards
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. (Doors open 5:30 P.M.)
at the Buskirk Chumley Theater (114 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47408)
More information on this event is available on the Buskirk Chumley Box Office website
This is a FREE, unticketed event for All Ages
The Be More Awards honors and applauds our community volunteers' outstanding
but often unrecognized efforts. If you know a volunteer serving organizations in Bloomington or Monroe County, consider nominating them for a Be More Award.
Each Be More Award recipient will receive a $1,000 cash award provided by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County for the recipient's nonprofit organization, in honor of their outstanding service. All organizations must have a 501(c)3 tax-exempt status (or school or government equivalent exempt status) - no exceptions.
Nominations for the 2026 Be More Awards are CLOSED. Thank you to all who submitted nominations.
The 2026 Be More Award Recipients:
- Be More Bloomington - David Meyer, for his service to refugee families through the Rotary Clubs of Bloomington and the Bloomington Rotary Foundation.
- Be More Creative - Winnie Dong, creator and producer of WFHB Youth Radio’s “What the Health?!”
- Be More Dedicated - Jo Ann Main, for her 15 years of service to the students of Unionville Elementary School.
- Be More Energized - Serve IT Volunteers, for their service to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington.
- Be More Engaged - South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP) Thriving Connections - Captains and Allies.
- Be More Impactful - Bloomington Severe Winter Emergency Shelter Volunteers, for their work to shelter unhoused individuals during severe weather events.
- Be More Involved - Israel Herrera, for 20 years of service to various community organizations, including the City’s Board of Parks Commissioners.
- Be More Phenomenal - Matt Stonebraker, for his service to Bloomington Developmental Learning Center
The 2026 Be More Award Nominees:
Bloomington Severe Winter Emergency Shelter (BSWERS) Volunteers
Captains and Allies - SCCAP Thriving Connections
David Meyer - Rotary Clubs of Bloomington / Bloomington Rotary Foundation
David Skirvin - Bloomington Parks Foundation
Deborah Piston-Hatlen - Farm to Family Fund
Dedric Dennist Jr. - Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana
Dianna Daniel - Wildcare, INC.
Elyse Perry - WFHB Community Radio
Hurlow Wealth Management - Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce
Israel Herrera - Bloomington Board of Parks Commissioners
Jennie Orr - Bloomington Animal Shelter
Jo Ann Main - Unionville Elementary School
Jonah Simon - Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington
Matt Stonebraker - Bloomington Developmental Learning Center (BDLC)
Serve IT - Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington
The Wheelie Women - Mobility Aids Lending Library (MALL)
Tony Brewer - Writers Guild at Bloomington
Traci Jovanovic - Beacon, INC.
Winnie Dong - WFHB Community Radio
Nomination Eligibility Criteria
- Nominees must volunteer with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or a school or government entity with equivalent exempt status. All cash awards are issued to qualifying nonprofit organizations; individuals do not receive monetary awards.
- Both individuals and groups are eligible in applicable categories, but nominees may not receive awards in consecutive years.
- Nominees may be renominated in future years if they remain actively volunteering.
- Each nonprofit organization may submit up to three (3) nominations, with no more than one cash award per organization. There is no limit on nominations from unaffiliated individuals.
- Volunteers whose service was completed entirely for course or service-learning credit are not eligible; volunteers who receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses remain eligible.
- Nonprofit staff, community members, and relatives or friends of volunteers may submit nominations. Volunteers may not nominate themselves as individuals but may nominate a group of which they are a member.
- The City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department (including its affiliated commissions and program divisions), the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, United Way of Monroe County, and any entities employing selection committee judges and their immediate family members are not eligible to to be nominated. No selection committee judge may nominate someone for a Be More Award, nor may they be nominated, as this constitutes a conflict of interest. Employees of these organizations, if they are not on the selection committee, are still eligible to submit a nomination provided the person they are nominating serves an organization or group not affiliated with their employer.
- Nominee organizations must serve the broader community. Organizations that serve only their own members (e.g., religious, fraternal, or professional groups) are not eligible.
- If a volunteer is nominated for service with multiple organizations, the cash award may be split at the discretion of the judges.
A Community Collaboration
The Be More Awards have been made possible in partnership with City of Bloomington Volunteer Network, Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County, IU Credit Union, United Way of South Central Indiana, and WTIU Public Television.
