MANCHESTER — In the daily grind of small town life, it can often be difficult to recognize the small contributions of fellow community members.

You know who they are. They’re the people working quietly, often behind the scenes. They are the people you count on to make things happen, who work to better their community day in and day out. They’re the people who put their hands up when help is needed, who step forward with no motive other than to help their neighbors.

In Manchester, these dedicated denizens are known as “Unsung Heroes.” It’s a recognition that began more than 20 years ago through the Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce. Since 2008, the award has been under the provision of Manchester’s Selectboard.

“It’s about remembering that, besides the people who you see in the town report who were elected or appointed, there were so many other people who just took care of things,” said Selectboard Vice Chair Wayne Bell, an architect of the award. “These people put their hands up and did things quietly.”

In 1989, a compelling conversation arose at Bell’s ‘Quality Restaurant.’ A group of regulars sitting down to breakfast remarked upon the fact that those who are most committed to serving often remained unrecognized. There ought to be an award for these people, they said.

That serendipitous observation, according to Bell, was the genesis of the “Unsung Hero Award.”

Two years later, a committee began accepting nominations for those citizens that they felt best exemplified “selfless community service.”

Since then, seventy members of the Manchester community have been recognized as “Unsung Heroes.” A plaque bearing their names still hangs in Manchester’s Town Hall Meeting Room.

“A small community can feel like a family, and at times you may take your family for granted,” Bell said. “It’s good to pause once in awhile, think about the things your fellow community members do, and maybe say it in a nomination.”

According to Bell, the ideal nominees are the people not often lauded in public for their service. Rather, they are the people working in earnest behind the scenes.

“This recognition helps you to realize how much these people really do,” Bell added. “You see it all of the time; it’s right in front of you. You take it for granted every time you go to an event and see the same people there, the same people volunteering.”

“If you come to the awards and you see it, some of these people have never been in the spotlight or have ever gotten any recognition,” said Tara Dowden, Bell’s wife and 1997 Unsung Hero.”They and their families are just overwhelmed.”

For these heroes, the commendation is often a surprise.

“It’s great that the town recognizes all of us and what we’ve done as volunteers, but these are things that we like to do naturally,” said 2008 Unsung Hero Ray Ferrarin. “The irony is we’re not looking for this.”

“Everything is done because you feel like you need to do it,” said his wife Marie Ferrarin, who was also named an Unsung Hero in 2008. “You want to do it.”

According to Bell, the award prods the community to recognize not just those designated as Unsung Heroes, but all members of the Manchester community that are committed to service.

“It’s human nature to sometimes forget to appreciate these people,” Bell explained. “When you choose someone you don’t just choose them, but in a sense we also think about all of the people who are quietly doing things that make our town a good place.”

For the 2017 award, committee members will be accepting nominations until Friday, Dec. 1. While nominations are often enjoyable to read, says Dowden, they need to be detailed.

“We get a number of nominations asking us to consider certain people, without any information on what these people do in our community,” she said. “The nominations really need to tell a story; they need to tell us who these people are.”

“We get some wonderful letters,” Bell added. “Often a friend or someone will nominate their person, and they’ll tell us a whole bunch of things we didn’t know.”

Nominations can be sent to Bell via email at bell.w@manchester-vt.gov, or by mail at 6039 Main St. in Manchester Center (addressed to Wayne E. Bell, chair of the Manchester Selectboard Community Recognition Committee).

The Town of Manchester will hold a ceremony to honor this year’s recipient(s) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5 in the Kilburn Meeting Room within Manchester’s Town Hall.

Reach Cherise Madigan at cmadigan@manchesterjournal.com, or by phone at 802-490-6471.