Who are your community heroes?

It"s that time of the year again when the people of the wider Athlone region get ready to help choose their unsung heroes. The fifth annual Athlone People of the Year Awards, organised by Rehab Group and sponsored by Athlone Town Council in association with the Westmeath Independent, help to honour those within the community who have contributed to the life of the area. The launch of the this year"s awards takes place on Wednesday night next, February 11, at Athlone civic centre. Sheila Buckley Byrne of the Rehab Group said the organisation was delighted to have Athlone Town Council as the major sponsors of the event. She also thanked the Westmeath Independent, who she said were also key sponsors of the event. She also urged the public to nominate their unsung heroes for this year"s people of the year awards. Nomination coupons will be published over a number of weeks in the Westmeath Independent, beginning with next week"s edition. Sheila explained that the Athlone People of the Year Awards celebrates all that Rehab Group embraces. It recognises potential, human endeavour, the ability to support others with dignity and outstanding achievement. 'We are asking the public to think about the people they know who are involved in our community and contribute greatly to the quality of our lives here with little recognition or reward. Nomination coupons will appear over the coming weeks in the Westmeath Independent newspaper and I would urge you to fill in the coupons and encourage your family, friends and colleagues to do likewise,' she said. The main criteria for nominees are: any person, organisation or club within Athlone and its environs who has made an outstanding contribution at a local level. Such contributions may be characterised by, for example, achievement, commitment, courage, persistence and distinction. In the past, attributes such as leadership, job creation, youth projects, economic development, professional and cultural development, work on behalf of people with disabilities and the underprivileged, and pioneering or outstanding work in education or environmental field have been considered. Sheila Buckley Byrne said: 'We are asking the public to think of those people in their own area and neighbourhood who were doing that little bit extra and to let the organisers know.'