United Way seeks nominations for Bemidji volunteer recognition program

From child care and youth programs to church aid and storm recovery, Beltrami County leans on volunteers whose names rarely make headlines. United Way of Bemidji Area is asking residents to put those people forward for its Someone Special Volunteer Program before Thursday, May 7.

The program is designed to recognize the people who keep local civic life moving behind the scenes, from organizing events to showing up when a neighbor needs help. United Way of Bemidji Area says the Someone Special program has been running for 36 years, and the current nomination form, dated April 19, marks the start of the 36th year of recognition.

Organizations, businesses or groups may nominate up to two volunteers each year. The program is sponsored in partnership with Paul Bunyan Broadcasting, The Bemidji Pioneer and Ken K Thompson Jewelry, giving the annual recognition a long local history tied to Bemidji institutions many residents know well.

The need for that kind of recognition has only grown as the area’s volunteer network has stayed active after the major June 21, 2025 storm. United Way of Bemidji Area launched a Disaster Relief Fund to help with both immediate needs and longer-term recovery, and Executive Director Denae Alamano has discussed the recovery effort in local radio interviews. That storm response added another layer to a volunteer culture that already reaches deep into daily life across Bemidji and Beltrami County.

United Way of Bemidji Area says its work focuses on Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security and Community Resiliency. Its volunteer pages show ongoing needs with agencies including the Bemidji Early Childhood Collaborative, Boys & Girls Club of Bemidji Area, Evergreen Youth & Family Services, Foster Grandparent Volunteer and Churches United, underscoring how much local service depends on people willing to give time, not just money.

That is what makes the Someone Special program more than a plaque or a public thank-you. It is a way to surface the names of the people whose work is often invisible but still felt every day, in classrooms, food programs, youth activities, church networks and storm recovery. With the May 7 deadline approaching, the question for Bemidji is not whether volunteers matter. It is which ones should be recognized first.