Friday, February 5th at Noon

Livestreamed free on Facebook and cffk.org

Join the party! A festive virtual celebration of our community’s volunteers of the year, plus special guests and surprises! Special thanks to our event sponsor, the Lower Keys Medical Center.

The 21st annual Unsung Heroes Celebration will recognize the tremendous efforts of our community’s volunteers. All 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits based in and serving the Florida Keys were invited to nominate their volunteer to be honored.

Everyone can join in this year’s party, which will be a free virtual celebration livestreamed on Facebook and at cffk.org. No reservations are necessary.

In addition to shining the spotlight on our community’s volunteers of the year, the virtual event will feature several special guests, including a national presenter sharing the surprising reasons why giving is good for people.

The Unsung Heroes celebration is sponsored by the Lower Keys Medical Center and promotes civic engagement in the Keys.

David Clay, CEO of Lower Keys Medical Center, said, “The not-for-profit organizations and their volunteers being recognized are so vital to the health and well-being of our communities, providing food, shelter, financial assistance and health and human services to our residents in need. The Unsung Heroes event is our chance to celebrate the giving nature of the Keys and the people who work tirelessly to help their neighbors.”

Nearly 1,400 volunteers have been recognized since the event was started 21 years ago. Keys volunteers donate their time and services to our community, including cleaning up beaches, supplying food to children and families in need, fostering animals, mentoring students, assisting at homeless shelters, and much more.

2021 Nomination Information

Please remember, only one nomination per nonprofit (unless nominating a couple — married or domestic partners — working as a team).

Please provide complete and current contact information on the form below for the Unsung Hero. We will contact all nominees with additional information for the virtual celebration and recognition.

We have been made aware of an apparent technical problem involving some internet browser settings preventing Constant Contact form transmission. We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. The nomination submission deadline has been extended to 5pm Tuesday, January 5, 2021.

Please note, if you received an automated email confirmation (subject: “Thank you for registering for 2021 Unsung Heroes Virtual Celebration”), that means we received your nomination. Thank you!! If not, please contact Holly at hallen@cffk.org. While our office will be closed New Year’s Day and through the weekend, email will be monitored all three days and inquiries about Unsung Heroes will be answered promptly.

Our community partner Keys Weekly  is producing a special 8-page publication that will feature all of the honorees.

In addition, Keys Weekly will take a professional headshot photograph of each honoree to be used during the virtual celebration, in the special publication, and in other promotional materials throughout the year. Honorees will be asked to go to one of the three Keys Weekly offices located throughout the Keys during the days and times below to have their photograph taken. Photos will be taken outdoors and will follow strict social distancing guidelines.

Instructions will be sent to honorees after the first of the year with any additional information.

Unsung Heroes are also recognized throughout the year as CFFK’s Volunteer of the Week. Only those honorees with professional photos will be used in the publication and in the weekly promotions.

For questions, please contact Holly Allen at CFFK at hallen@cffk.org or call 305-292-1502.

The Unsung Heroes celebration is sponsored by the Lower Keys Medical Center and promotes volunteerism and civic engagement in the Keys. More than 1,300 volunteers have been recognized since the event began 20 years ago.

David Clay, CEO of the Lower Keys Medical Center, said, “The not-for-profit organizations and their volunteers being recognized are so vital to the health and well-being of our communities, providing food, shelter, financial assistance and health and human services to our residents in need. The Unsung Heroes event is our chance to celebrate the giving nature of the Keys and the people who work tirelessly to help their neighbors.”

Keys volunteers provide needed support for our community, including cleaning up beaches, fostering animals, mentoring students, delivering food to homeless shelters, performing dental work for youth in need, serving as tour guides, providing free legal and financial assistance, and much more.

Nearly 23 percent of all Florida residents volunteer for nonprofits, contributing 341 million hours of service. Last year in America, 77.4 million people volunteered hours of service valued at $167 billion.

Since 2001, the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys has been hosting the annual Unsung Heroes event to recognize the tireless efforts of our community’s volunteers. Each Monroe County 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is invited to nominate one Unsung Hero to recognize that individual’s unpaid contributions over the past year.

Photos from the 2020 Unsung Heroes Celebration

Click here to see all the photos from the event.