Do you know a special volunteer?

With the start of 2003, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is again seeking nominees for the annual Jefferson Awards to recognize volunteers who offer their extraordinary efforts to help their communities, their country and the environment.

"The Jefferson Awards give us an opportunity to highlight the good works of ordinary people in the state of Washington who unselfishly give their time and energy to help others," said P-I Executive Editor Ken Bunting. "Of all the things the Post-Intelligencer does to strengthen this community, none is more satisfying for me."

Print out the online coupon to make a nomination and include a letter describing the nominee's accomplishments.

If possible, provide supporting documentation, such as copies of other awards, newspaper articles or letters from those the nominee helped.

Nominations must be submitted to the P-I by 5 p.m. Feb. 7.

This is the 26th year the P-I has sponsored the awards program in Washington state. P-I readers nominate the winners.

The awards are named for Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president, who drafted the Declaration of Independence and encouraged citizens to become involved in their communities.

The American Institute for Public Service in Wilmington, Del., sponsors the program nationally to recognize ordinary people who do extraordinary things for their communities. It was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, widow of President John F. Kennedy; Sen. Robert Taft Jr. of Ohio; and Sam Beard, former staff associate to Sen. Robert Kennedy of New York, the president's brother.

Five Washington nominees will be honored with medallions at an award luncheon March 6, with one representing the state on the national level. The national winners will receive Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Awards in June in Washington, D.C.

Individuals, clubs, churches, businesses or other organizations may nominate. Only individuals, not organizations, can be nominees. Nominees from past years not chosen as recipients may be nominated again.

The nominee names will be published Feb. 27. Profiles of the five state winners will be published March 6, the day of the awards luncheon.

Last year, a panel of judges chose six medal recipients from nearly 200 nominees.

They were:

Dr. Isaac Pope of Chehalis, who overcame a segregated boyhood in Tennessee to earn a medical degree. After a cancer diagnosis a decade ago, he sold his medical practice and opened a clinic for severely disabled children.

John Beal of Seattle, who brought back life to Hamm Creek as part of 23 years of working to restore environmentally damaged streams in the Duwamish River watershed.

Sgt. L.J. Eddy of the Seattle Police Department, who built connections between police and the mental-health community as leader of the department's Crisis Intervention Team.

Lenny Larson of Seattle, who has helped people with AIDS. He co-founded the Northwest AIDS Foundation, the Chicken Soup Brigade and the Seattle AIDS Support Group.

Elizabeth Thomas, who provided years of care as a pediatric nurse practitioner at the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic in Seattle.

Peter Truong of Burien, who fled Vietnam in 1975 as a refugee and now volunteers his time to help Asian immigrants. In addition, he is a community service officer for the King County Sheriff's Office.

P-I reporter Margaret Taus can be reached at 206-448-8027 or margarettaus@seattlepi.com

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