Norman Black is Maine’s only recipient of the STACVA

China Select Board Chairman Ron Breton, left, presents the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award to Norman Black, a 30-year veteran of the Weeks Mills Volunteer Fire Department. (photo courtesy of Rebecca Hapgood)

Norman Black of South China is Maine’s only 2021 winner of a national Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award.

Select Board Chairman Ronald Breton presented Black with a certificate at the Jan. 31 select board meeting. Breton said Black, a China native, has been a member of the Weeks Mills volunteer fire department since he was a teenager and a member of China Rescue for 10 years.

The presentation was followed by applause and congratulations from the small audience.

Each year 100 STACVA awards go to people from towns or counties with populations fewer than 25,000, to recognize public service and public safety volunteers.

The STACVA is an annual program that honors 100 extraordinary public service volunteers in localities under 25,000. It spotlights the urgent need for citizens to fill critical civic volunteer roles including local government boards and councils, volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and the many advisory committees that support key local government functions.

Research shows that the percentage of people volunteering in small communities and rural counties has dropped substantially over the last 12 years. Civic volunteerism is the lifeblood of small town and rural America. STACVA is intended to help address this critical shortage by recognizing and supporting “hometown heroes,” and by promoting best practices designed to spur a force of new civic volunteers to fill these vital roles.

China is fortunate Maine’s only recipient resides within its boundaries. The winner is a lifelong resident of China who started volunteering in his teens for the Weeks Mills Fire Department. Over thirty years later, this recipient continues to serve the Weeks Mills Fire Department and has volunteered for the past 10 years for China Rescue as an EMT. The China Select Board is proud to present the Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award to Norman Black. Thank you for your service and dedication to the community.