2013 finalists

1312

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

2013 Community Leadership Awards Finalists

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Bruce E. FyfeHomeless Emergency Project, Inc. (HEP)ProVise Management Group, LLC | NFP Securities

Craig W. HendersonChicago International Charter SchoolC. W. Henderson & Associates, Inc. | UBS

Brian Keith MoonHale Center Emergency Medical ServiceWest Texas Investment Advisors / SCF Securities | SCF Securities, Inc.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY IMPACT

Kenneth “Larry” AgeeDisaster Aid USATrue North Asset Management | Questar Capital

Bob CondonCommunity Partners InternationalFoundation Investment Group | Commonwealth Financial Network

Jessica JonesCasa Para Niños AleluyaEdward Jones

MENTORING EXCELLENCE

David L. GreyChildren’s Friend and Family ServicesGrey Investments LLC | Fidelity Investments

Brett W. HogeBig Brothers Big Sisters of Winston-SalemBB&T Scott & Stringfellow | BB&T Securities

Jeffrey L. RotskyThe Rotsky Foundation for MentorsMorgan Stanley Smith Barney

VOLUNTEER TEAM

Chris KittrellMission of HopeRather & Kittrell Capital Management |Fidelity Investments

Van Mason and Amy M. TreatStoneRidge FoundationStoneRidge Wealth Management | LPL Financial

John L. McKeever, IIIThe Committee to Benefit the ChildrenFinancial Advisors of Delaware Valley | Princor

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Hatim SmouniWinthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute | Merrill Lynch

Michael J. SwallowThe Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism CBIZ Retirement Plan Services | CBIZ Financial Solutions

Debra Brennan TaggUnited Way of Metropolitan DallasBrennan Financial Services | FSC Securities

1716

I f we spend all of our time with affluent people, eventually that becomes the definition of the world for us,” said Bruce Fyfe,

executive vice president of ProVise Management Group in Clearwater, Florida.

“Working at the Homeless Emergency Project has provided an important balance for me,” he said.

HEP, also based in Clearwater, provides emergency housing and food, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing.

Mr. Fyfe has served as chairman of HEP’s board since 1992.

Over the years, he has taken the organization from two employees and a budget of $100,000, to almost 60 employees with an operating budget of $4.5 million, serving 400 clients per day. Mr. Fyfe raised almost $1.5 million for HEP between January 2011 and April 2012.

Last October, he accomplished a personally significant project for HEP: the opening of a 32-unit complex for homeless veterans of the Afghan and Iraq wars. He and his wife raised $3.4 million for the facility in honor of their son, an Iraq war veteran who died in 2009 from the effects of severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It was a passion for me before my son died, and it’s a double passion now. I don’t want others to lose their children in the same way I lost my son,” Mr. Fyfe said.

B R U C E E . F Y F E

Homeless Emergency Project, Inc. (HEP) ProVise Management Group, LLC | NFP Securities

Community Service

Chicago International Charter SchoolC. W. Henderson & Associates, Inc. | UBS

1716

Craig W. Henderson and a few colleagues were serving on the board of a small scholarship foundation when the Civic Committee of The

Commercial Club of Chicago asked them to found a charter school.

“We laughed. We were all businesspeople, with no education experience,” said Mr. Henderson, president and chief investment officer of C.W. Henderson & Associates, Inc. in Chicago.

The committee persisted — it wanted businesspeople — and won them over.

Thus, in 1997, Mr. Henderson became one of the founders of the Chicago International Charter School, a system now with 16 college prep schools serving 9,200 underprivileged children. Its notable achievements include a graduation rate of 88%, with 94% of those accepted to college.

CICS’ success is due to its flexible operating model and its focus on data-based accountability.

“When we took this on, we decided — as businesspeople, not educators — to hire school operators to run the different sites and we manage the operators. This gives us flexibility to try different educational approaches,” Mr. Henderson said.

Accountability is having good, reliable and current data, he said.

“We provide immediate feedback to parents, teachers and students to show how much growth is being achieved,” Mr. Henderson said.

“It allows us to set higher growth goals for each child,” he said. “Everyone wins when you have good data.”

C R A I G W . H E N D E R S O N

Chicago International Charter SchoolC. W. Henderson & Associates, Inc. | UBS

Community Service

1918

Against all local expectations, newcomer Brian Keith Moon rescued the Hale Center EMS Association.

In 2007, Mr. Moon, a financial advisor with Fresno, California-based SCF Securities, Inc., moved to Hale Center, an isolated Texas town about 200 miles northwest of Dallas with 2,200 people, only one doctor (who is in his 90s) and the nearest hospital 20 minutes away.

The insolvent EMS, which had closed down three times in the previous five years, had 20-year-old equipment — and Mr. Moon was concerned about the safety of his family and his community.

With a businessman’s perspective on how to solve a problem, he volunteered to lead a fund-raising effort.

“I came to the EMS with a 10-page business plan. It surprised them. But I didn’t want to go sell hot dogs,” he said.

“From my own experience, I knew businesses want promotion, so I created a magazine and a billboard where I could sell ads. My initial goal was $25,000 — the locals were skeptical.”

But between 2009 and 2011, Mr. Moon raised $85,000 from direct fund-raising and $116,000 from federal grants. He takes his success in stride.

“Sometimes just being on a board isn’t enough — you need to get involved, ask difficult questions and get your hands dirty,” he said.

B R I A N K E I T H M O O N

Hale Center Emergency Medical ServiceWest Texas Investment Advisors / SCF Securities | SCF Securities, Inc.

Community Service

1918

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita changed the direction of Larry Agee’s life. While Katrina brought some 30,000 displaced people to

his hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Rita devastated the city a month later, damaging 75% of the structures, recalled Mr. Agee, a financial advisor with True North Asset Management.

His military and advisor backgrounds kicked in as he helped in the disaster response.

“As financial advisors, we see problems and we fix them. We don’t sit around and watch,” he said.

The experience had a powerful impact on his psyche. He felt a calling to do more and began volunteering overseas in disaster zones such as South Sudan and Pakistan.

“I contacted my major clients about my increasing deployments — they all supported me,” Mr. Agee said.

In 2010, he co-founded Disaster Aid USA to respond to disasters domestically and internationally. The organization aims to provide a more nimble disaster response than usual.

“Often, disaster relief is either uncoordinated or over-coordinated (analysis paralysis). It’s a fine line. Our small teams can jump in and quickly do a comprehensive assessment and then coordinate with other agencies to get the necessary help,” he explained.

He finds the work exhilarating. “Serving others in challenging environments is what motivates me.”

K E N N E T H “ L A R R Y ” A G E E

Disaster Aid USATrue North Asset Management | Questar Capital

Global Community Impact

2120

Bob Condon, president and chief executive of the Foundation Investment Group in Berkeley, California, is dedicated to bringing sustainable

health care to the people of Myanmar.

“If we don’t help these people, they’re going to die,” he said. “This is my way to give back to the planet.”

Over the past 23 years, Mr. Condon has served as the administrative and fund-raising backbone of Community Partners International, an organization that supports community-based public health and clinical care in conflict-affected zones of Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma.

As a result of his team’s longtime efforts, some 500,000 people in the region now receive medical care.

Mr. Condon refers to CPI’s innovative development philosophy as “venture philanthropy,” likening small, promising projects (such as local clinics) to entrepreneurial startups. The organization combines this approach with a unique focus on gathering and publishing public health data.

CPI finds reputable local partners, gives them seed money and coaches them.

“Our American doctors train local health workers in two significant ways — how to solve medical problems, such as malaria, and how to document and publish their findings. In turn, this results-based public health approach attracts large philanthropies, such as the McArthur Foundation,” Mr. Condon said.

“It’s all about leveraging,” he said. “If you team up with the right partners, you can create something even larger.”

B O B C O N D O N

Community Partners InternationalFoundation Investment Group | Commonwealth Financial Network


2120


Jessica Jones, a financial advisor with Edward Jones in The Woodlands, Texas, expresses her deep faith through her

extraordinary charitable giving.

For the past nine years, Ms. Jones and her husband, Michael, have donated full college funding to 250 college students in Guatemala — to the tune of $880,000.

She has even created a $5 million charitable trust to be gifted posthumously.

“I’m overjoyed to give,” she said.

In 2005, Ms. Jones visited the impoverished country with her church group and was swept away by the work being done for homeless children by the Build Your House on the Rock Ministries.

The orphanage has cared for more than 4,000 children since 1989. According to the United Nations, Guatemala has more than 380,000 orphans.

Since then, she has visited Guatemala once or twice a year. The children have become like family to her.

Living out her faith through giving imbues her practice.

“It’s awesome to share the joy of giving with my clients. My hope is to inspire even one person to give to a cause they are passionate about.”

The Jones’ life is built around giving.

“We have been very intentional to live below our means in order to do this,” Ms. Jones said. “Don’t wait till you die — do it now.”

J E S S I C A J O N E S

Casa Para Niños AleluyaEdward Jones


2322

David L. Grey, owner of Grey Investments LLC in Beverly, Massachusetts, never forgot what it was like to grow

up in a financially strapped single-parent household.

He worked 30 hours a week as a teenager to help support his family, and watched his brother suffer from undiagnosed schizophrenia.

Mr. Grey’s difficult experience made him acutely aware of the mental health needs of children.

Six years ago, he signed up as a mentor for Children’s Friend and Family Services in Salem, Massachusetts, which provides children’s mental health services, youth mentoring, teen parenting support and juvenile court services.

Mr. Grey’s involvement grew. As board chairman from 2007–09, he modernized the organization’s policies and procedures and led a strategic planning process that allowed the agency to double its revenue. Mr. Grey and his wife donated $10,000 to allow mentoring program participants to get involved in activities such as driving lessons or computer classes.

However, the children’s needs run much deeper.

“There are kids out there with post-traumatic stress disorder — that shocked me to learn,” Mr. Grey said.

Even in the affluent northern suburbs of Boston?

“It’s not just in urban areas where kids grow up witnessing violence and dealing with drugs,” Mr. Grey said. “We have dozens of kids in this area waiting for mentors.”

D A V I D L . G R E Y

Children’s Friend and Family ServicesGrey Investments LLC | Fidelity Investments

Mentoring Excellence

2322

W hen Brett and Wendy Hoge were newlyweds, they started their family in an unusual way — they signed

up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winston-Salem for a “Little Brother,” as part of a “couples match.”

Mr. Hoge is senior managing director with BB&T Scott & Stringfellow in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Since welcoming their first “Little” 11 years ago, the Hoges have mentored two more boys.

“We incorporated them all into my family,” Mr. Hoge said. “When our daughters were born, the boys automatically treated them like little sisters.”

He has served Big Brothers Big Sisters as a board member and successful fund-raiser, bringing in about $115,000 since 2002.

Mr. Hoge, himself raised by a single mother, empathizes with the needs of Littles and is concerned about how they may be viewed.

“Sometimes, there’s a perception that the kids have problems,” he said. “They don’t. There’s a comprehensive screening process for Bigs and parents — police background checks, personality tests, interests, etc. And the Littles must have an actively involved parent.”

The organization’s biggest need is for professional minority mentors, as 75% of the prospective Littles are African-American and 20% are Hispanic, according to Mr. Hoge.

He has seen a positive ripple effect.

“My two older boys are planning to mentor middle-school boys themselves,” he said.

B R E T T W . H O G E

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winston-SalemBB&T Scott & Stringfellow | BB&T Securities


2524

As a college student, Jeffrey L. Rotsky mentored middle-school kids, and his passion for the work has become an integral part of his life.

He and his wife, Gina, established the Rotsky Foundation for Mentors 22 years ago, when he was just 26.

The structured program begins in eighth grade, and mentors and protégés are expected to participate for five years. It is unique in that matches are based on both personal and vocational interests.

“Seeing is believing. When the kids see how we live every day — watching surgeries, learning about the stock market, meeting a judge — it makes the future tangible for them,” said Mr. Rotsky, now a senior vice president for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Cleveland.

There are 100 mentor/protégé teams at a middle school in inner-city Cleveland.

The program has continued to grow and succeed. More than 400 kids have participated, with 80% staying in for the required five years; 96% of those continuing their education.

Another sign of success is the fact that many former protégés return to become mentors themselves.

“Mentoring becomes contagious. It grows on you,” Mr. Rotsky said.

“It’s a feeling you never want to let go of.”

J E F F R E Y L . R O T S K Y

The Rotsky Foundation for MentorsMorgan Stanley Smith Barney


2524

I t’s like stepping back in time. People live in run-down shacks with no heat in the winter and no running water,” said Chris Kittrell,

describing one of the impoverished areas of Tennessee served by the Mission of Hope.

Mr. Kittrell, a partner, and his 14 colleagues at Rather & Kittrell Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, have been volunteering for the charity since 2000.

Twice a year — back-to-school time and Christmastime — the team, their families and clients bring truckloads of supplies, clothing and food to the children and families of Huntsville, Tennessee, 90 minutes north in the Appalachian mountains.

In addition to the deliveries, the Rather & Kittrell team works on fund-raising throughout the year.

Clients have responded enthusiastically, Mr. Kittrell said.

“Many times, we have been blown away by how much the clients want to participate. Even with the Great Recession, people are becoming much more aware and sensitive to charitable giving,” he said.

The need hits close to home.

“This work is something we’re proud of. We’re all from this immediate area, and we feel so fortunate ourselves,” Mr. Kittrell said.

He recalls the responses of the Huntsville children.

“For a moment, these kids can say, ‘Someone cares about me.’”

C H R I S K I T T R E L L

Mission of HopeRather & Kittrell Capital Management | Fidelity Investments

Volunteer Team

2726

When Amy Treat’s infant son Riley was diagnosed with a serious hearing impairment, she was introduced to the very expensive world of audiology

products and programs.

For example, a mid-range hearing aid costs $2,500 and needs to be replaced every four to seven years — and typically is not covered by insurance.

Ms. Treat, a partner and chief operating officer of StoneRidge Wealth Management in Portland, Oregon, and her business partner, company president Van Mason, were concerned.

“We began to wonder about the low-income kids and the parents who don’t have the money for the same programs that have allowed Riley to flourish,” she said.

To address this need in their community, they decided in 2007 to establish the StoneRidge Foundation. Ms. Treat and Mr. Mason donated $30,000 to seed the effort, and have raised $16,000 in donations.

Since then, the team has provided 69 low-income children with hearing aids, a year’s worth of batteries (which cost $10 every two weeks), speech classes and classroom microphones.

Hearing loss is more common than one might realize — 15% of school-age children have some type of hearing impairment, Ms. Treat said.

Early treatment is critical.

“If a kid can’t hear, they can be held back mentally, emotionally and educationally,” she said. “They can’t hear life.”

V A N M A S O N & A M Y T R E A T

StoneRidge FoundationStoneRidge Wealth Management | LPL Financial

Volunteer Team

2726

When a child has cancer, it’s not only emotionally devastating but often financially devastating as well, according to John L.

McKeever, III of Financial Advisors of Delaware Valley in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

In 1980, he lost his 12-year-old son Johnny to a rare and aggressive form of leukemia.

Understanding the toll the disease takes on patients, parents and siblings, Mr. McKeever was determined to help other families, and co-founded the Committee to Benefit the Children at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia.

“Often one parent can’t work — a lot of time is taken off work to be with the child. They lose jobs,” he said.

Since inception, the CBC has raised more than $3 million, which has gone toward direct financial assistance with essential expenses such as meals, rent/mortgage, utility bills and funerals; parties for the young patients and their siblings; and a special summer camp whose counselors are all cancer survivors.

Mr. McKeever’s philanthropic teammates include colleagues Mikki Romano, Danielle Yoch, Meghan Houck and Jim Murray Jr. Four have served on the charity’s board.

The CBC brings a charitable focus down to the patient level, Mr. McKeever said.

“There’s lots of money going to research, but we need to help the families survive this horrible experience,” he said.

JOHN L . MCKEEVER, I I I

The Committee to Benefit the ChildrenFinancial Advisors of Delaware Valley | Princor

Volunteer Team

29

H A T I M S M O U N I

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer InstituteMerrill Lynch

28

When Hatim Smouni takes on a project, he attacks it with zeal. In 2008, the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

asked the popular community altruist to start up its volunteer network/outreach program.

Five years later, the ebullient Mr. Smouni, a vice president at Merrill Lynch in Little Rock, Arkansas, built the program, called the Envoys, into an energetic community of 1,000-plus boosters.

Envoy volunteers reach thousands, helping the institute with cancer education, fundraising for research, public relations, and retention and recruitment of doctors.

The group specifically raises funds for the institute’s Seeds of Science program, which provides grants to small research projects, allowing them to work toward eligibility for major grants. Under Mr. Smouni’s leadership, they raised more than $1 million over the past five years.

The Envoys also welcome potential new doctors and provide a support network for newcomers.

Mr. Smouni, who immigrated to the United States from Morocco 20 years ago, is usually active with at least three charities at a time. What motivates him?

“I have a double duty to do this. First, as a member of the community, and secondly, I appreciate this country and I want to give back,” Mr. Smouni said.

“My life is the true American dream, and I will never forget how lucky I’ve been here.”

Volunteer of the Year

29

M I C H A E L J . S W A L L O W

The Northeast Ohio Foundation for PatriotismCBIZ Retirement Plan Services

28

M ichael J. Swallow, senior vice president at CBIZ Retirement Plan Services in Cleveland, is leading

the way for the next generation of philanthropists.

Mr. Swallow and his team co-founded the Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism (NEOPAT) in 2011 to support local military personnel and their families, and to create a bridge between military and nonmilitary Ohioans.

“Our generation wants to do great things. There’s a pent-up demand for community,” Mr. Swallow said. “You just have to make it exciting and easy.”

NEOPAT’s 10 board members are all between 29 and 45.

The charity focuses its energy on four areas: health/morale/emergency aid — such as rent, utilities, home repairs and holiday gifts — remembrance/memorial projects, educational scholarships, and events that promote patriotism.

NEOPAT’s mission has resonated powerfully with its supporters. Fundraising and donor engagement exploded from the start.

For example, the charity’s first annual gala attracted 500 attendees and netted $42,000 just two months after the organization was launched. Last year, the net was $70,000, and it is $85,000 so far in 2013.

Since January 2011 — with the help of some 40 corporations and 500 nonmilitary families — NEOPAT has donated more than $250,000 to serve the needs of about 3,000 military families.

“This cause is unopposed,” Mr. Swallow said. “It’s tremendously powerful.”


30 31

Debra Brennan Tagg, managing partner of Brennan Financial Services in Addison, Texas, is using a venture capital approach

to solve community problems.

She is co-chairman of the GroundFloor social-innovation fund for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

“Social innovation is addressing problems in a new way — convening people with different backgrounds and providing funding and mentors to startup nonprofits that want to solve social problems,” Ms. Tagg said. “We have defined gaps in education, health and income in our region, and we are targeting those areas.”

Since 2011, Ms. Tagg has helped raise $500,000 for the fund through individuals, foundations and grants.

The first two startups funded were a chef-run café that provides culinary job training with job placement for juvenile offenders, and an initiative that provides vocational videos to high schools demonstrating the importance of studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics — the so-called STEM subjects deemed critical to the economy.

GroundFloor recently released its first nationwide request for proposals to bring to Dallas the most innovative business plans with measurable outcomes. United Way hopes to fund five to eight of these entrepreneurial nonprofits.

Future RFPs are planned on a semiannual basis.

“We’re looking for innovative best practices to replicate or amplify,” Ms. Tagg said.

D E B R A B R E N N A N T A G G

United Way of Metropolitan DallasBrennan Financial Services | FSC Securities


2013 finalists

Documents