Perhaps you can relate to this - I’m the kind of person who puts all my time and energy into my work. Always have. So, every year, I can’t help but be humbled when reading over the nominations for our annual Kubota Community Hero program, which recognizes and celebrates the positive impact community leaders are making across Canada.

Last year, I found the story of our contest winner, Christian Vachon, particularly inspiring. Christian is a firefighter in Magog, Quebec, an area I know well due to having a cottage nearby. He runs a foundation that provides school supplies, clothing, food, etc. to more than 126 schools in six school boards.

Imagine making that kind of difference. Transforming that many lives.

Christian is one of ten community heroes that Kubota has recognized over the years, and he represents just one of the 700 nominations we’ve received to date.

Earlier this month, we started accepting nominations for Community Hero 2022, which is now in its fourth year. Three winners will be named on December 9^th, with one donation of $25,000 and two $5,000 contributions set to be awarded to the community initiative of the winners’ choices.

We hope this prize money will allow our winners to make an even bigger impact locally, but I’ve always believed our Community Hero program is about more than that. It’s about inspiring others to step up and get involved. It’s about keeping our communities vibrant, alive and healthy.

Something that’s now needed more than ever.

While a recent survey by Kubota and the CHL showed that nearly half (48%) of Canadians contribute to their community in some way, from financial donations to volunteering, it also revealed that a “lack of leadership to organize events and gatherings” was a limiting factor to why many of us don’t contribute to our communities as much as we should.

In other words, Canadians are looking for leaders. We want to give back, we want to volunteer, we want to generate positive change, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start or how to best make a difference.

Kubota and the CHL have deep roots across Canada. We have 135 local dealers nationwide and the CHL has 52 Canadian teams, so we see the impact everyday people can make in their communities when they dedicate their time and effort to a good cause.

Through our Community Hero initiative, we want to empower Canadians with the knowledge that there are leaders out there, near them, who get up every day with the sole goal of making their community and the world a better place.

Leaders you can get behind. Leaders who need you.

According to our survey, 61 per cent of those who actively contribute to their community said the most limiting factor for them is “a lack of volunteers to support an event.”

If you choose to become more involved in your community over the coming year, our survey also offers a sneak peek at some of the benefits you may enjoy:

37 per cent of people who contribute to their community said it allows them to “spend time with friends and meet new people.” One-third (33%) believe it “gives them perspective and self-awareness.” And 31 per cent report getting “unique and exciting opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have.”

Most importantly, almost two-thirds (61%) of Canadians who contribute to their community said they do it because “it makes me feel good.”

What more reason do we all need?

If you would like to learn more about the Kubota Community Hero program, you can do so here. Who knows, maybe you’ll be nominated next year.