Texas' First Lady Cecilia Abbott is the Honorary Chair of the Governor's Volunteer Awards, and on Wednesday, February 14, the announcement was made of who the recipients of the 40th Annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards would be.

The awards, presented in conjunction with OneStar Foundation, are given to honor the service of nominated individuals, groups, and organizations who have made a significant contribution to Texas communities through their service and volunteering in the past year.

“It is with great excitement that I recognize 15 exceptional awardees of this year’s Governor’s Volunteer Awards, commemorating 40 years of honoring outstanding volunteers,” said First Lady Abbott. “These awardees—and those honored over the past four decades—are a testament to the true strength and selfless leadership embedded in the spirit of Texas."

Awardees will be officially honored at a reception in April during National Volunteer Month, hosted at the Texas Governor’s Mansion.

Governors Volunteer Awards - Office of the Governor
Governors Volunteer Awards - Office of the Governor
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The recipients of the 40th Annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards are:

  • Ann Hammond (Houston): Governor’s Lifetime Achievement
  • Kent and Priscilla Pate (Midway): Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Wayne Rhoden (Georgetown): Posthumous Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Rizwan Khan (Plano): First Lady’s Rising Star Award
  • Rahul Vijayan (Pearland): First Lady’s Rising Star Award
  • Jana Anderson (San Angelo): Volunteer of the Year Award
  • Joan Ulsher (Helotes): Volunteer of the Year Award
  • Cheng Family (Allen): Volunteer Family of the Year Award
  • McCoy’s Building Supply (San Marcos): Corporate Champion Award
  • Academy 4 (Fort Worth): Community Champion Award
  • City of Longview Partners in Prevention (Longview): Community Champion Award
  • Arlington Classics Academy (Arlington): Education Champion Award
  • Orange County Disaster Rebuild (Orange): Rebuild Texas Disaster Impact Award
  • Joe Carreon (Dallas): AmeriCorps Legacy of Service Award
  • Katrina Huffman (Brady): AmeriCorps Legacy of Service Award

To find out more about the Governors Service Awards and individual Bio information on each of the 2023 winners, click on OneStarFoundation.org.

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