First Citizen of Chesapeake

The Nomination period for the 2024 First Citizen of Chesapeake has opened!  Please click the link below to nominate a deserving citizen.  Deadline for submission:  May 15th, 2024 

Purpose:  

The Chesapeake First Citizen Award is presented annually to an outstanding individual who best exemplifies the spirit of citizenship and who has shown significant leadership through his/her time, talents, and efforts to enhance the quality of life in the City of Chesapeake.  

Eligibility:

-Nominee should have been a legal resident of Chesapeake, Virginia during the nominee’s key years of service. Current residence not mandatory; though highly preferred.
-Nominee’s service to the City of Chesapeake should reflect interest in areas other than his/her professional work.
-Nominee’s accomplishments should have made a positive impact on the quality of life in the City of Chesapeake and its place in the Hampton Roads region.

Selection Criteria:

The First Citizen Committee Chair will collect all nominations and present those that meet the Chesapeake Rotary eligibility and selection criteria to the Judges panel of former First Citizens of Chesapeake. The Panel will meet and select from the nominations submitted to them by the First Citizen Committee chairman by June 1, 2024. The Panel will consider the nominee’s overall impact on Chesapeake and their adherence to the Rotary motto “Service Above Self” as they review a nominee’s service record. The First Citizen Award recognition is a celebration of volunteerism and the extra effort that is made outside of one’s profession to make Chesapeake and the Hampton Roads region a better place to live.

Awards Ceremony:

The 2024 First Citizen Award recipient will be honored at the First Citizen Award banquet to be held at the Chesapeake Conference Center on Thursday, September 19, 2024.  Persons nominating deserving citizens need to affirm that the nominee, if selected, can attend on that date as this is a mandatory criteria for selection.

Endorsements:

Letters of endorsement are permissible.  Such letters should state why the person believes the nominee deserves to become the First Citizen of Chesapeake.  

Nomination Process:

Nomination submissions with attachments may be submitted online using the form linked above.  Additional information and documents that cannot be attached there may be mailed to the First Citizen Award Committee c/o Chesapeake Rotary Foundation, Post Office Box 15705, Chesapeake, VA 23328 no later than May 15, 2024.  Please allow time for postal service delivery.