Foundation seeks nominations for Philanthropist of the Year

With the idea of finding another way to honor those who give back to the community, the Putnam County Community Foundation is seeking nominations for Philanthropist of the Year.

The recipient will be someone who made a positive impact in the Putnam County community in 2018 and set a standard of excellence in philanthropy for others to follow. 

The deadline to make a nomination is Friday, May 24.

Not to be confused with the Spirit of Philanthropy award, which the Foundation has awarded for many years, the Philanthropist of the Year is focused specifically on 2018.

“We’ve had the lifelong contribution award for a long time,” Foundation Executive Director Brandon Wells said. “I thought this was a way for us to expand our scope of who could be honored. We have a lot of people of all ages who contribute. We do a great job of honoring the lifelong donors, but this can honor young people or those just starting out in philanthropy.”

A philanthropist is someone who donates his orher time, money and reputation to charitable causes. The requirements for Philanthropist of the Year include: The individual must be a resident of Putnam County, the individual demonstrates leadership in Putnam County, the individual encourages others to be philanthropic and the individual exhibits philanthropy in Putnam County through financial support or volunteer work.

The award recipient will be announced at the Community Foundation’s annual meeting on June 19.

Anyone wanting to nominate an individual should contact Neysa Meyer at nmeyer@pcfoundation.org.

“We have a lot of people who are doing great things,” Wells said. “This just gives us a new way to honor some of them.”