National Volunteer Awards

The Volunteer Leadership Award is presented to volunteers who have served as a volunteer leader for enterprise-wide programs, initiatives, or board-level committees or task forces (other than as chair of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors), and to others who have provided long and distinguished service to the American Cancer Society at the enterprise-wide level.

The Volunteer Staff Partnership Award recognizes an ACS volunteer-employee team that models and reflects a successful partnership with a positive impact on the ACS mission. Partnerships between volunteers and ACS team members are built on relationships, where each partner has a different but equally important role. Partners may work side by side in the community, partner on specific projects in a virtual environment, or work together across the globe.

The St. George National Award is given to outstanding volunteers throughout all ACS Regions who have made significant contributions to the American Cancer Society’s strategic goals. First conceived in 1949 by Dr. Charles S. Cameron, a former ACS medical and scientific director, the St. George National Award has been presented to more than 1,400 ACS volunteers nationwide.

The Fredda Bryan National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award recognizes an American Cancer Society volunteer or volunteer group who has made an incredible impact on the lives of cancer patients and their families by advancing our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Patient Support Volunteer Award for Excellence recognizes an American Cancer Society volunteer or health system champion who has made an incredible impact on the lives of people with cancer and their families through one of our mission-driven patient support programs or by reducing cancer disparities through increasing cancer screening and/or HPV vaccination.

The Lane Adams Quality of Life Award is reserved for those unique caregivers who lead in their areas of expertise and make a significant impact for people with cancer, as well as their families and communities. Award winners are chosen each year from the following categories: doctors, nurses, social workers, and others. All winners provide direct care, counsel, and/or service to patients with cancer and their families.

The Health Systems Partner of the Year Award recognizes a health systems partner that has made astounding achievements in improving the lives of people facing cancer and their families. Awardees provide exemplary health care to their patients in alignment with the American Cancer Society mission.

The Development Volunteer Award for Excellence recognizes an individual who has made an incredible impact on the success of the American Cancer Society’s fundraising and development goals. This award’s recipient demonstrates a record of outstanding performance that goes above and beyond the usual roles and responsibilities associated with their volunteer role.

The Event of the Year Award recognizes an American Cancer Society event that achieved remarkable success and had a great impact on our fundraising and development goals. Areas of success may include outstanding fundraising, year- over-year growth, growing ACS’ presence in a new community, or innovative events.

The Corporate Partner of the Year Award recognizes an organization that has partnered with the American Cancer Society and made an incredible impact on the success of our fundraising and development goals. The corporate partner must contribute a minimum of $500,000 towards ACS’ mission in their community.

The Philanthropy Partner of the Year Award recognizes an individual or foundation that has partnered with the American Cancer Society and made an incredible impact on the success of ACS’ fundraising and development goals.

The American Cancer Society believes that those who work diligently to make the case for inclusion are deserving of recognition. The ACS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion award recognizes community fundraising events that take action to promote the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through education, advocacy, and industry outreach. This award celebrates events advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the community with clear positive impact.

The Early-Career Researcher of the Year Award annually recognizes one active recipient of an ACS career-launching grant, who has demonstrated a strong commitment to and evidence of excellence in career research, leadership, mentoring, and community outreach.

The Trish Greene Quality of Life Award recognizes an outstanding investigator whose lifetime body of work shows significant contributions in quality-of-life research that benefits patients with cancer and their families. The investigator’s body of work illustrates outstanding innovative contributions over the years, has had years of funding sources recognized nationally and/or internationally, and a program of quality-of-life research built over their career.