Midtowners are among those being honored for their charitable works on Wednesday, Nov. 18, part of National Philanthropy Day. Annabel and James B. Nutter are set to receive the philanthropist of the year award, with the Polsinelli law firm being honored as the business philanthropist of the year.
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Mid-America Chapter will present the awards at The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial at 6 p.m.
Here is the list of their 2015 honorees provide by AFP:
PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR: Honorees: Annabel and James B. Nutter who have quietly donated millions of dollars and provided volunteer leadership and support to a host of non-profit organizations – everything from a neighborhood community center to the Kansas City Zoo. Mr. and Mrs. Nutter lead by example, rolling up their sleeves and committing the time to create change in our community. They have given countless hours to make Kansas City a better place to work, play and live for all its residents.
BUSINESS PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR: Honoree: Polsinelli, headquartered in Kansas City, has contributed more than $3.7MM in nationwide philanthropic gifts and sponsorships from 2010-2015 (year to date), approximately 50% of which has stayed in the Kansas City area. In addition, firm attorneys have dedicated over $30.7MM in pro bono legal work (95,600 hours) for those without access, including $13MM (45,700 hours) in Kansas City.
AVANT GARDE AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN FUNDRAISING: Honoree: The “Go-Long” volunteer team, Joe Webster, Willie Humphrey, and Sanders Martin, was formed in 2002 when a group of football-loving, military retirees decided it was time to give back to their community in an organized way. As “Go-Long”, they agreed they would seek to enrich the lives of young men and women who aspired to attend college. Since 2002, through landscape work for donation only, Go-Long has awarded $100,000 in scholarship support that has assisted the college going aspirations of 47 students attending 19 different colleges or universities.
YOUNG FUNDRAISER or PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR:
- Honorees: Lauren Stevens and Piper Hickey (age category 18-23) were the 2014-2015 community service chairs for Lee’s Summit North High School’s National Honor Society. They worked countless hours creating, planning, and implementing monthly events that would benefit the clients served by Hope House, a domestic violence shelter. These fun, engaging, and rewarding activities for those receiving shelter services reached hundreds of women and children throughout the school year
- Honorees: Ella and Jack Perry (age 5-17) started a drive at their elementary school, Academie Lafayette, to collect school supplies and medicines for Oberlin High School in rural Jamaica. Through their efforts they filled the once bare shelves of the clinic with over-the-counter medicines and supplies and students were provided with critically needed school supplies. More than 100 students or their parents, faculty and the school nurses were involved in gathering donations and supplies
OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER FUNDRAISER: Honorees: Jean Deramus Wagner and Jill Deramus Dean share a passion for children and animals, selflessly giving their time to serve as directors, event chairs, and committee members of numerous community organizations. They uniquely work effectively as twins, a team of two, in-step and in-sync in building support for area nonprofits including Starlight Theater, Wayside Waifs, The Pembroke School, The Jewell Ball, and the Kansas City Zoo.
EXCELLENCE IN FUNDRAISING: Honoree: Sheffield Place, a not-for-profit that transforms the lives of Kansas City’s most vulnerable residents – homeless mothers and their children – as they make the difficult journey from despair to hope and from homelessness to healing and self-sufficiency. But in 2011 Sheffield Place was on the verge of collapse. Through the process of restructuring and effective fundraising, Sheffield Place moved from near insolvency to financial strength in 2015 with cash reserves. Most important, the turnaround empowered the agency to serve a larger part of the growing need for services for homeless mothers and their children.
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