Nominations are now being accepted for the 2017 Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind awards.

“The Statesboro Herald and other sponsors need the public’s help in identifying those in the community who make so many contributions to the lives of others,” said Joe McGlamery, the president of the Statesboro Herald, which hosts the Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards.

The 29th annual invitation-only gala will be held Tuesday, April 18, at Georgia Southern University’s Nessmith-Lane Conference Center.

Nomination forms may be found inside today’s Statesboro Herald on page 7A, or online at www.statesboroherald.com/deendaysmith. The deadline for nominations is 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 8.

Nominations should be of persons who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to help others. Nominees should reflect a spirit of giving and compassion and made a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

A complete list of Deen Day Award recipients is available on statesboroherald.com. Go to http://www.statesboroherald.com/deendaysmith2017/ and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Click on the “Past Honorees” link.

“Every community has a vital group of individuals who give of themselves to make their communities better,” said McGlamery, chairman of the Selection Committee. “Bulloch County seems to have more than its fair share of servant leaders and it is this group that we seek to recognize with the Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards.”

Since the awards were established in 1989, more than 900 Bulloch County residents have been recognized with Deen Day Smith Service to Mankind Awards.

Nominees are “folks who work quietly behind the scenes of organizations, churches and community groups” and are “dedicated to making the lives of all they touch better,” McGlamery said.

“Please think about the neighbors and friends you know in our generous community who make a difference without seeking the spotlight,” he said. “Those are the folks that make wonderful nominations for a Service to Mankind Award.”

Historically, Deen Day Service to Mankind recipients are “benevolent persons who place others before themselves and perform acts of kindness for the sake of the recipient and not for personal gain,” he said.

Also, the awards program will recognize several lifetime achievement recipients who have demonstrated a long term commitment to helping others. The Statesboro Herald, in addition to hosting the gala, also sponsors the Humanitarian of the Year award, who is named during the awards ceremony.

“Our committee cannot possibly know all the efforts that are underway in our community, so we need nominations to come in from the public,” McGlamery said. “Please mail your nominations are go online at www.statesboroherald.com/deendaysmith and share what you know about the good work of our community so that we can recognize these deserving people,”

The speaker for the banquet will be announced at a later date.