The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys' dedication to the North Queensland community has been formally recognised tonight, with the club honoured with the title of 2010 Telstra One Community NRL Club of the Year.
 
The award recognises and rewards the NRL club that has implemented an outstanding community program throughout 2010 and was presented to the Cowboys as the leader in its community initiatives from 16 clubs.
 
The Cowboys were crowned the Community Club of the Year at the fourth annual One Community Awards at Sydney's Town Hall, after investing a total of 2,465 hours in the North Queensland community and dedicating 1,340 hours to special appearances in 2010.
 
The Cowboys' signature community programs include Adopt-a-School, Cowboys Community Fund, Cowboys in the Classroom, Field of Dreams, Obe Geia Challenge and Community Corner.
 
Through these programs, the Cowboys have helped organisations working to improve the lives of North Queenslanders, including Camp Quality, CanTeen, Make-a-Wish Australia, Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Just 4 Kids and AEIOU, among others.
 
The club has also developed strategic community partnerships with organisations including Royal Queensland Bush Children's Health Scheme, YWAM Medical Ships, PCYC Cloncurry, CANEGROWERS and the Northern Territory Government.
 
In addition to their structured community programs and partnerships, the Cowboys maintain a community requests program that received almost 4,000 requests from community organisations and individuals seeking support over the past year.
 
Cowboys Community Relations Manager Fiona Pelling was at the ceremony to accept the award.