Iqaluit (May 08/06) - Paul Ikuallaq spent 30 years and counting as a volunteer on the Gjoa Haven recreation committee, trying to get people moving.

"I try my best to keep people active," said Ikuallaq from his Gjoa Haven home.

He doesn't just organize a number of fun times like the Nunavut Day and Christmas games - he makes sure people who show up have a good time doing it.

"I'll have a microphone or a PA system in my hand and people who are sitting down I tell to come over and join in and you might achieve something. It seems like through me, other people can get active."

"It makes me feel good inside and enriches my life."

On April 28, Ikuallaq and six other die-hard, community-minded people were given a Nunavut Volunteer Award and treated to a ceremony in Iqaluit by the Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.

The remaining recipients were Samuel Takkiruq, also of Gjoa Haven, Ben O'Hara and Bobbi-Jo Grover of Cambridge Bay, and Heather Daley, Charlotte Borg and Michelle Cronman of Iqaluit.

Takkiruq was pleased with being recognized.

"This award shows that what I do is appreciated," he said after returning back home.

"It has my name in Inuktitut and English and it means more to me than just a piece of wood."

He volunteers alongside Ikuallaq on the recreation committee.

"Even if I don't get paid, it's good to do. It's making people's lives better and that makes me feel better," he said.

In Cambridge Bay, Grover, who's day job is the recreation co-ordinator, volunteers hundreds of hours for sports in her hamlet.

"I really like to work with children and help motivate them through sport," said Grover, who is the secretary for the Cambridge Bay Athletics Association, a hockey coach and a supporter of suicide awareness week and impaired driving week.

The volunteer award was a welcomed surprise.

"It was recognition that I am doing good things in my community," said Grover.

The Iqaluit volunteers were awarded for a wide scope of efforts.

Daley's commitment to the Iqaluit Music Society scored her the prize.

Borg's work with the Kamatsiaqtut Helpline and Embrace Life Council earned her recognition, while Cronman's daily volunteer efforts at the Children's Group Home brought her the much-deserved award.