Awards pay tribute to Rochester’s open, giving hearts

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Twenty-seven local organizations and individuals will be honored Friday for community service.

On National Philanthropy Day, Nov. 5, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Genesee Valley Chapter, will salute individuals, companies and other organizations for their philanthropic efforts.

National Philanthropy Day recognizes the spirit of giving, paying tribute to regular contributions by people to a multitude of causes.

At a luncheon event, AFP’s local chapter will present its 2010 Philanthropy Award in five categories:

• Outstanding Youth Volunteer Fundraiser
• Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser
• Robert A. Clinger Outstanding Professional Fundraiser
• Outstanding Corporation
• Outstanding Philanthropist

Here is a closer look at the nominees:

　

Outstanding Youth Volunteer Fundraiser

　

Fairport High School Student Council

The Fairport High School Student Council has found ways to show that it cares for the community.

The group has organized staff appreciation programs, homecoming and alumni activities, retirement celebrations and sporting events to raise funds for Pluta Cancer Center, Continuing Developmental Services Inc. and other organizations.

Its Civility Awareness Respect and Embrace Week, an event held in conjunction with the district’s Brotherhood-Sisterhood Week celebration, gives high school students a chance to reach out to pupils in first to fifth grades and teach the values of teamwork and generosity.

"CARE Week is my personal favorite of all of the events we held," says Renada Bertram, a former representative on the Student Council. "I come from the (Rochester City School District). The civility, awareness, respect and embrace elements are often missing in urban students’ lives and sometimes from their classrooms. CARE Week gave us an opportunity to share those values with them."

Bertram says being on the council "was a blessing and a nice surprise-like a school-year gift."

"Without the support of our advisers and principal," she adds, "none of what we did would have been possible."

Adriana Romei, 2009-10 vice president of the council, says the opportunities to organize events that benefit others helped her to learn about teamwork and compromise.

"It really was the highlight of my senior year," Romei says.

The Student Council also held two Perinton Food Shelter fundraisers, one generating nearly $200 in loose-change donations and the other resulting in 1,000 cans and cartons of food and more than $1,000 raised during the CARE Week celebration in March.

For Kristen Scheuer, it was love for Fairport that motivated her to participate.

"Student Council really gave me an opportunity to make people feel the same way I did about our community," explains Scheuer, the 2009-10 Parent Teacher Student Association representative. "Giving back also gave me a sense of self-worth and made me feel like I was truly making a difference and creating traditions that would (last at Fairport High School)."

Floyd Winslow Elementary School

Ready, set, harambee!

Through a program called "Changing the World-One Step at a Time," students at Floyd Winslow Elementary School in Henrietta helped bring hope and $10,000 to the town of Maseno, Kenya, where the Swahili word "harambee" means "Let’s all pull together."

"Who would have imagined children could change the world?" says Barbara Agness, a third- and fourth-grade teacher at Winslow Elementary. "But they did. Each and every one helped in whatever way they could."

Students and staff members wore pedometers from Jan. 12 to 20 to raise funds and promote the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Hero principles established by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation. Their steps were tracked on a corresponding map set up in the school’s foyer. As the steps were tallied, the school community made its imaginary way to the African continent to stand alongside new friends and global neighbors.

"It feels great to know Winslow students helped change the world for the better-one step at a time," Agness says. "Students wrote how this project made them feel like better people. They felt important. They thought of others before themselves."

Funds collected were double the school’s original $5,000 goal and were raised on behalf of Building Futures Inc. The non-profit organization was able to build a classroom and lay the foundation for a medical clinic that now serves Maseno’s impoverished residents.

"The money went to work in weeks," Agness says. "We saw (the) classroom being built. We saw children carrying bricks and hauling sand from the river banks. Their (mothers and fathers worked) together to build their new classroom."

Greece Arcadia High School

National Honor Society

What began as a goodwill gesture in 1989 has become a tradition for National Honor Society members at Greece Arcadia High School.

Since 1994, senior National Honor Society members have served as guest chefs at two locations of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester. Among the first to provide ongoing support for the program, they now prepare and serve up to 60 hot

meals each month during the school year for critically ill children and their family members.

"Having the opportunity to walk in and meet the people staying at the house makes the experience much more personal," says Kristen Powers, 2010 Arcadia graduate and former National Honor Society secretary.

She notes that the impact is immediate.

"We felt a sense of pride about our high school as we continued the long-standing tradition of taking part in this program," Powers says. "A lot of preparation went into these meals, and being able to actually go to the house, meet the families and serve them what we had put together made us realize how special what we were doing really was."

On average, 28 seniors take up spatulas each year. In 21 years, more than 500 Greece Arcadia guest chefs have brought comfort, through food, to Ronald McDonald House Charities’ homes away from home.

"(These students) help RMHC succeed in its mission, by providing warm, freshly prepared meals for families … and by donating funds to help cover the cost of operating two houses," says Patty Schwarzweller, director of development at Ronald McDonald House Charities.

An annual spring car wash raises most of the money, allowing the group to donate $1,000 directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities and keep $1,000 in reserve to cover the costs associated with preparing the meals they serve.

Indian Landing Elementary School

Where once there were mud huts, there now stand brightly lighted, stucco buildings where budding minds bloom, grow and thrive.

The Indian Landing Elementary School community has raised more than $26,000 to erect three new classrooms and an infirmary through Building Futures Inc., a non-profit that fosters sustainable development in Africa. Holding Kenya Fairs, student-staff basketball games, popcorn sales and a Run for Kenya, the school raised $15,000 during the 2008-09 academic year. A year later it raised nearly $12,000.

Barbara Shields and Beth O’May teach physical education at Indian Landing Elementary, which is in the Penfield Central School District. They have spent more than 90 hours of non-class time organizing the Run for Kenya events, in which 290 parents and community members, 475 students and school staff members have participated.

"Kids love to run," Shields says. "We found a way to challenge them which allows them to incorporate fitness with a really amazing fundraising event. It has developed their awareness about the world at large and shown that they can make a difference by getting pledges, completing laps and raising money."

She adds: "It’s remarkable to see their faces light up with excitement about getting to run, track their laps, be on teams, run to music they like and hang posters they’ve created especially for these events. We opened up the gym before school so that anyone who wanted to participate could. Hundreds of people filled it each morning, working toward a common goal."

The school planned to run the number of laps equal to its distance, in kilometers, from Kenya-roughly 2,073 one way. In the end, participants made it to Kenya and back again.

"This fundraising effort is magic to see in motion," says Terri Connell, principal of the school. "It is truly a labor of love by our school community to help those who have so little."

Jeffrey Halsey Kemp

Jeffrey Halsey Kemp is a dedicated and active student. That is how Teresa Bianchi, development and communications manager at Flower City Habitat for Humanity, describes him.

"He is a concerned citizen of the world (who) cares about his community," she says.

Since 2009, Kemp has maintained A-level grades while logging more than 935 hours of community service, founding the Habitat for Humanity chapter at McQuaid Jesuit High School, recruiting more than 80 members and organizing walks and events to raise in excess of $4,500 for Habitat for Humanity.

"I have been blessed with so much-a home, a supportive family, a private education and much more," Kemp says. "Because I have been so fortunate, it’s my duty to give back to the community and help others. It makes me really happy (that) my service has a positive impact on people’s lives."

He adds that spending spring break rehabilitating two houses that had been gutted by fire in Lebanon County, Pa., alongside others from his campus chapter was the most meaningful event he participated in.

"It allowed other guys to experience the impact of volunteering through Habitat," Kemp says. "By working for a full week, we were able to make a significant contribution on the housing construction sites."

In June, Kemp was among five students statewide and 252 nationwide to receive what the U.S. Congress calls its highest honor bestowed upon young people-the Congressional Award Gold Medal. The medal is issued annually to 14- to 23-year olds who meet rigorous challenges in volunteer public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration.

Mariah Palumbo

Mariah Palumbo, an eighth-grader, has set a trend which her peers can easily replicate in their effort to help others.

She has impressed the Harley School staff with her ongoing dedication to community service projects and her selfless contributions to worthy causes. In 2007, Palumbo set her sights on helping Friends of Orphans, a non-profit organization which provides food, clothing and shelter to orphaned children in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Mariah has proven, through her philanthropic spirit and years of dedication, that she is truly a friend" to people in need, says Jenna Wainwright, coordinator of development communications and stewardship at the Harley School. "She is an excellent example of an outstanding youth in philanthropy."

Wainwright says Palumbo has set and is perpetuating a trend among teens to eschew materialistic pursuits and devote themselves to supporting causes that benefit others.

"She made greeting cards and friendship bracelets and sold them to neighbors and classmates … for a quarter apiece," Wainwright explains. "Later, she made tiny pouches of felt (decorated with) buttons to sell for a dollar each. Through her creative efforts, she raised almost $400."

While Palumbo has raised hundreds of dollars by making and selling a variety of craft items, she also used her 12th birthday party as a vehicle to raise an additional $650 for Friends of Orphans.

"In lieu of gifts, Mariah asked family and friends to make donations," Wainwright says.

Category hed: Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser

Celeste Amaral

When it comes to trying to eradicate poverty and encourage economic self-sufficiency among young urban women, Celeste Amaral is not afraid to ask for help.

As an active donor, mentor and volunteer with the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley, Amaral, finance director of worldwide sales and operations at Eastman Kodak Co., has rallied support from those around her.

"Celeste has encouraged others to give by serving as a role model through her volunteer service, hosting events for potential donors and asking friends, business associates and colleagues to join in her efforts," says Susan Latoski, executive director of the Women’s Foundation. "Celeste takes this role very seriously and has given many hours of her time and personal financial resources over the years."

Amaral, the highest-ranking Hispanic woman at Kodak, is known to use her business and personal connections to raise awareness about women and girls living in poverty. On her own time, she led the Latina Women’s Scholarship Fund committee. That group, which is a donor-advised fund created through a partnership of the Latinas Unidas Network of Rochester and the Women’s Foundation, identified women over 25 who would benefit from additional job training to attain financial independence.

Amaral also has served as a mentor to a young woman from the inner city for the past six years. As the girl struggled with a challenging home situation, Amaral arranged for her to attend a program on entrepreneurship at Cornell University a few years ago and helped her successfully complete Wilson Magnet High School.

The student now is thriving as a freshman at Virginia State University, and she and Amaral frequently talk by phone or via text messages.

Amaral’s message to young women is straightforward: "Enroll in college and become economically self-sufficient," she says. "With the right support system, you can accomplish anything."

Henry French Jr.

Henry French Jr.’s generous spirit and ability to motivate others to support various causes have benefited more than one organization.

At Monroe Community College, for example, French-who retired from the school in 2005 after 41 years as a history professor-has donated more than $100,000 to support student success and teaching excellence. Also, as a director on the board of the Monroe Community College Foundation and chairman of its planned giving program, he has helped the foundation secure more than $1.5 million in charitable gifts.

Libraries also have been a passion for French, and he initiated the fundraising campaign to establish the Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries, a joint effort between the Rundel Library Foundation and the Rochester Regional Library Council. He served as president of the Rochester Public Library board from 1998 to 2000.

French also has worked over the years to raise funds for the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the University of Rochester, the University of Delaware and Christ Episcopal Church.

His commitment to helping organizations grow stems from his parents’ own behavior.

"My father always told me that a person always has to give back, and my mother always said, ‘Cast your bread upon the water and it will come back as frosted cake,’" he says. "I carry my parents’ legacy, and it is an honor to help others."

Eileen Grossman

When Eileen Grossman sees a need, she works with determination to fill it. Several years ago, she helped two friends undergoing chemotherapy by hauling a card table, cards and snacks into the infusion room and passing the time by playing bridge.

That gave Grossman an idea-to help more patients have a better experience during cancer treatment. Thus, the Cancer Wellness Spa was created.

Through Grossman’s fundraising efforts, convincing vendors to donate products and services as well as making monetary gifts herself, the spa currently serves more than 5,000 children and adult cancer patients annually. Instead of sitting passively during treatments, adult patients can receive manicures, makeovers and nutrition services-as well as hearty soup-and-sandwich meals-all compliments of the spa.

Children and teens are treated to fun craft projects, music, story time, electronic games, magazines and a free lunch, too.

"It just makes sense," Grossman says. "When you’re going into a medical institution for treatment, you don’t have to sit there quietly, and there’s no need to feel sick during the treatment. So we try to make it fun for patients. Our goal is to give

people a diversion when they’re down."

Helping others comes naturally to Grossman, who has volunteered for years for the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester. For the past three years, she has organized Rochester’s Ovarian Cancer 5-K Run.

"The mission of the Cancer Wellness Spa is straightforward," Grossman says. "There’s a better way to overcome adversity."

Marian Turner

Robert Pieters cannot say enough good things about Marian Turner.

As president and CEO of Heritage Christian Services Inc., Pieters knew of Turner’s decades of involvement with fundraising causes on behalf of people with developmental disabilities. Three years ago, he recruited Turner to help Heritage Christian Services, a move that has benefited the organization enormously.

"Our stretch goal for the 2009 Legacy Mile fundraiser-a first-time-ever event-was $175,000, but Marian helped us raise $186,000" Pieters says. "In fact, in 2009, she helped Heritage Christian raise $330,000 by managing nine fundraising events, including two golf tournaments that grossed nearly $90,000."

With previous fundraising success as chairperson of Monroe County Special Olympics’ annual Crystal Ball Gala, Turner and her team raised millions of dollars to benefit Special Olympics athletes. Today, she directs her energies to Heritage Christian Services. With her support and leadership, the number of families participating in planned giving has grown from 34 to 83 this year alone.

"I’m delighted to help," Turner says. "I’m very passionate about people with developmental disabilities. They have so many challenges to overcome, and they never stop inspiring me. Every day, I feel that they give so much more than I do."

Category hed: Robert A. Clinger Outstanding Professional Fundraiser

Tamara Cohen

As the first development director for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester in more than two decades, Tamara Cohen thinks of herself as a matchmaker who links donors’ passions to the organization’s needs.

"Because we serve from birth to 103, there’s something (to support) for everyone," says Cohen, a Brighton resident who has worked at the JCC for six years.

As the force behind the JCC’s first comprehensive development program in its history, Cohen has created a planned giving society and helped secure nearly $300,000 in grants from new funders since 2005. She debuted a fundraising event for Camp Seneca Lake alumni, identified affinity groups and coordinated a capital and endowment campaign in observance of the organization’s centennial in 2007.

Ratcheting up the organization’s fundraising efforts has caused annual giving participation among JCC members to rise to more than 40 percent since Cohen came aboard.

Cohen, who recently competed in her first triathlon, says her job is not about asking people for money. Instead, it hinges on cultivating relationships.

"I work for an organization that I also happen to feel very passionate for," she says. "And I think I’m able to convey that when I’m speaking to donors, donor prospects and even just members on a day-to-day basis."

Kelly Gagan

As vice president for institutional advancement at Nazareth College of Rochester, Kelly Gagan has heard many students read heartfelt thank-you notes they have written to scholarship donors.

The students’ words invariably drive home the power of philanthropy, and "donors tell us that they hold onto those letters for decades," Gagan says.

Since coming to Nazareth College in 2000 after working at the Carter Center, the Atlanta-based humanitarian organization founded by former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Gagan has launched a successful major gifts program at the college. She played a key role in the $20 million campaign that doubled the size of the campus in 2004.

Gagan, who lives in Pittsford, also established a new capital campaign office that has brought in more than $15 million in commitments thus far for further expansion, the endowment and annual operating goals.

A marketing campaign for fundraising and enrollment has gone forward at the college on Gagan’s watch. The effort included revamping online content and introducing new advertising.

Gagan says people considering fundraising as a career often ask her for advice. Besides being rewarding and challenging, the work entails explaining an organization’s vision and how donors can become a part of that, she says.

Laura Garrison

Watching her mother volunteer for the Junior League and other organizations in suburban Chicago sparked Laura Garrison’s interest in fundraising at an early age.

Now nearly 20 years into her fundraising career, "it is the most wonderful thing you can ever do with your life," says Garrison, assistant vice president for individual giving at WXXI Public Broadcasting Council.

Raising more than $3 million annually to support WXXI’s television, radio and educational services is among Garrison’s responsibilities. She also has secured membership support from more than 26,000 WXXI enthusiasts annually through on-air pledges, direct mail, telemarketing, the online auction, the Speaking of Women’s Health event and other methods.

In 2006, Garrison and her staff, along with their corporate underwriting colleagues, won a national award from the Public Broadcasting Service that recognized WXXI’s overall development efforts. She counts the distinction as one of her proudest professional accomplishments.

When reflecting on how she approaches her work, Garrison says she is a proponent of "friend-raisers," or events and meetings that facilitate getting to know donors, prospects and their philanthropic goals.

Garrison lives in West Irondequoit and enjoys gardening and traveling. She also volunteers for the Greater Rochester Chapter of the American Red Cross as a disaster-action team member.

Category hed: Outstanding Corporation

Baldwin Richardson Foods Co.

Baldwin Richardson Foods Co. has provided more than $250,000 in support to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester NY Inc.

"Baldwin Richardson employees have wrapped their arms around the Ronald McDonald House," says Carol DeMoulin, executive director at the local charity.

RMHC provides a home away from home for parents and other relatives who want to be near their children receiving medical care.

Based near Chicago, Baldwin Richardson has a production plant in Macedon. Since 1989 the maker of ice cream, toppings and condiments has funded capital improvements, supported annual campaigns and made in-kind donations for the two local Ronald McDonald House locations.

Eric Johnson, owner of Baldwin Richardson, encourages his employees to get involved.

Volunteers at the Macedon plant purchase food and cook dinners for the guests at Ronald McDonald House locations on a regular basis. They have provided the "houses" with new items, including a gas grill, baby cribs and roll-away beds.

Many help with the RMHC’s two annual fundraisers, the Red Tie Gala and the Household and Antique Sale. Recently employees created 35 gift baskets for a silent auction.

Baldwin Richardson’s philanthropic ef-forts include providing a four-year scholarship in entrepreneurship annually at Babson College in Massachusetts. The company also is helping rebuild schools devastated by last January’s earthquake in Haiti.

Johnson, who serves on the board of the Urban League of Rochester, also has been a major sponsor of its Golf Classic for the last 12 years.

Bausch & Lomb Inc.

Bausch & Lomb Inc., which has a long history of giving, donates more than $1 million a year to Rochester charities.

The eye-care company’s partnership with the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired-Goodwill Industries of Greater Rochester Inc. is one example of how the firm aims to bring eye health to the community by providing funding, equipment and staff.

For more than a decade, a Bausch & Lomb optometrist has given eye exams to ABVI-Goodwill’s Vision Care for Kids patients who are uninsured and lack proper eye care.

Bausch & Lomb’s global Pediatric Cataract Initiative also is working with the Lions Club International Foundation and its members in more than 200 countries. The initiative, which kicked off in June, will focus on developing countries, primarily China, where it is estimated that 40,000 children suffer from debilitating cataracts.

"We are focusing resources on funding for research and prevention," adds Michael McDougall, vice president of corporate communications and public affairs at Bausch & Lomb.

The company also looks to give in ways besides eye health programs, such as funding competitive efforts in robotics.

"We want to ensure our organization is viable another 150 years, and we need a work force that is skilled in engineering, science and math," McDougall says.

That is one reason Bausch & Lomb funds local robotics teams. For nearly a decade, the global eye-care company has funded teams of 10 to 20 students at five different schools.

Company engineers work with the teams, and it is not unusual to see high school students wandering around Bausch & Lomb’s optics center throughout the year, McDougall says.

"It is a great source of pride to have teams advance at the national level," he adds.

Monroe Community College Health Care Partners

Five organizations have joined forces to address the shortage of nurses in the Rochester area.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, MVP Health Care, Rochester General Hospital Foundation, Strong Memorial Hospital and Unity Health have given $1.9 million to MCC’s nursing expansion program. MCC Health Care Partners pledge to give $800,000 more in the years ahead.

In 2002, these organizations came together to increase MCC’s capacity to train nurses. At that time, MCC graduated 50 nurses each semester.

The partnership has helped MCC’s Wolk School of Nursing increase enrollment by 38 percent. Since 2002, MCC has graduated 280 more nurses than it would have without the program, says Mark Pastorella, director of development at the MCC Foundation.

Ninety-three percent of these nursing graduates remain in the Rochester area, serving local health care needs, he notes. They work in hospitals, home care organizations, private medical practices and public health agencies.

With the help of MCC Health Care Partners, the nursing program has addressed a significant shortage of qualified nursing professionals throughout Rochester and beyond.

"This group of health care organizations made a bold move to help MCC change the course of the nursing crisis," Pastorella says.

Monroe Wheelchair

Monroe Wheelchair employees were moved to serve the community when a colleague died of cancer this year.

"She affected all of us in amazing ways," says Jennifer Westerdahl Loughner, spokeswoman for Monroe Wheelchair, of her colleague Jennifer Azzolina.

Monroe Wheelchair employees donated $3,000 in different collections in her memory. Some of the money went to provide veterinary care for abused animals at Lollypop Farm.

Employees also participated in the "Relay for Life" fundraiser for the American Cancer Society along with the two daughters, husband and parents Azzolina left behind.

Monroe Wheelchair has been a family-owned and operated company for more than 65 years, providing wheelchairs, scooters and chair lifts to Upstate New York.

The company annually donates roughly $50,000 to community organizations, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Heritage Christian Services Inc., Rochester Rehabilitation’s SportsNet, Visiting Nurse Service of Rochester and Monroe County Inc., and the Center for Disability Rights.

Monroe Wheelchair recently made an in-kind gift of wheelchairs, walkers and other assistive devices to the Casa De Luz, a children’s health center in the Dominican Republic.

Another way Monroe Wheelchair has started giving back is by taking product donations from manufacturers. It then writes a check for the value of those donations to Rochester Rehabilitation.

"It comes down from the top. We’re generous with people here and want to get people involved in giving back to the community," Westerdahl Loughner says. "It is just the right thing to do."

Tim’s Trim Inc.

Hunting is Timothy Miller’s hobby, and he enjoys helping people with physical disabilities to enjoy the sport too.

"Each year I try to set up a couple of guys with a bow and arrow. We build a rig that holds the arrow so they can release it," says Miller, founder and president of Tim’s Trim Inc.

Miller started Tim’s Trim in 1978 as a vehicle restyling company. A decade later he decided to move into vehicle modification for people with mobility needs.

Today Tim’s Trim has 11 employees and helps disabled people to drive.

Many people who come in for vehicle adaptation feel limited by their disabling conditions. But when they learn they can drive independently, they are empowered.

"Driving is the key to economic and social success in our society," Miller says.

He also is an adviser and advocate for Rochester Rehabilitation’s DriveOn program, which helps the disabled drive safely and independently. In more than 20 years, DriveOn has helped thousands of people.

"People in this community have been good to us, and I feel it is our responsibility to improve things in whatever way we can," Miller says.

He adds: "It is part of who I am: You give back. And I have fun doing it."

Wendy’s Restaurants

of Rochester Inc.

Wendy’s Restaurants of Rochester Inc. has a reputation for backing causes that help build families.

It works extensively with the Adoption Resource Network of Hillside Children’s Center.

"Adoption is a cause that was near and dear to Dave Thomas’ heart," says Richard Fox, president of Wendy’s Rochester, which has 22 local restaurants.

Early in his career, Fox says, he worked with Wendy’s founder Thomas, who instilled in him the belief that "if you are fortunate enough to do well, your duty is to put back into the community."

Since 2008, Wendy’s Rochester has provided more than $150,000 to Hillside. The funds help keep an adoption recruiter on the staff to find placements for the more than 100 children at Hillside at any one time.

"More people working on placements, the more kids get placed. It is time-consuming and expensive," Fox says.

For several years, Wendy’s Rochester also has devoted fall canister collections and Valentine promotions to Hillside.

"We ask customers to support our causes too," Fox says.

In addition, the business has supported the Al Sigl Community of Agencies in various ways. Money raised during a capital campaign helped finance a 25,000-square-foot addition to Al Sigl’s flagship campus.

Wendy’s Rochester also supports organizations like Nazareth College of Rochester, Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Genesee Country Village & Museum, among others.

Xceed Financial Credit Union

Xceed Financial Credit Union has donated nearly $500,000 to the Seneca Park Zoo Society over the last decade.

The partnership started in 2001 when Xceed gave zoo memberships to customers taking out car loans through the credit union. Over eight years, a total of 8,098 new memberships were brought to the zoo.

For three years, Xceed has been the presenting sponsor of Zoobilation, the zoo’s largest fundraiser, says Kathryn Davis, senior vice president of marketing, communications and human resources at Xceed.

The credit union donates $15,000 and auctions items each year to the cause, and employees serve on the planning committee and attend the gala.

This event matches Xceed with businesses and people in the community that it serves, Davis says.

In 2008 Xceed sponsored a high school student’s trip to Canada to witness polar bear migration for a week with 31 other students from around the world.

Xceed also supports the Webster Comfort Care Home and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nationally the company has a goal to raise $25,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network. All of the money raised goes back into local hospitals, Davis says.

Xceed also makes sure that each of its employees gets a paid day off to volunteer for a charity of his or her choice.

"It is one way we give them the ability to do something important to them," Davis says.

Category hed: Outstanding Philanthropist

Ames Amzalak Memorial Trust

The Ames Amzalak Memorial Trust has sought to improve the quality of life for thousands of people in the Rochester area.

Ames Amzalak was created under the wills of three brothers-Henry Ames, Dan Amzalak and Semon Amzalak-who wanted the bulk of their estates to benefit local charities. Since it first appeared in the mid-1970s, the trust has donated more than $6 million to a wide range of Jewish and secular community institutions and non-profit agencies.

"The emphasis has generally been on matters affecting cultural affairs, children and health-related activities," says Justin Vigdor, one of the Ames Amzalak trustees and senior counsel at Boylan, Brown, Code, Vigdor & Wilson LLP.

Ames Amzalak’s generosity has touched a wide variety of organizations and causes down through the years. The trust’s donations include $300,000 to the Al Sigl Center’s capital campaign and gifts to Nazareth College, the Urban League of Rochester and other local organizations. Ames Amzalak has funded scholarships for St. John Fisher College students and schoolchildren’s trips to the Geva Theatre, helped support the food pantry of Rochester’s Lewis Street Center and used its funds in other ways to benefit the area.

As much as 40 percent of the Ames Amzalak grants has gone to organizations that are in some way connected to Greater Rochester’s Jewish community. The trust has been a longtime supporter of the Jewish Home of Rochester and of Temple B’rith Kodesh and has invested nearly $500,000 in the Jewish Community Center over the last decade.

George and Mary Bauer

George and Mary Bauer’s desire to help others grows from fairly simple roots.

"God has been very good to us, and we want to give back," says Mary Bauer.

The Bauers have indeed given back through donations to local educational and cultural institutions that have totaled $210,000 since 1986.

Dedication to the education and care of young people runs through all of the Bauers’ philanthropic efforts, starting with the tens of thousands of dollars they have given over the years to their alma mater, SUNY College at Brockport.

Two scholarships set up by the Bauers provide financial assistance for students enrolled in SUNY Brockport’s education programs. A third scholarship helps give graduates of Rochester’s East High School the resources they need to enroll at SUNY Brockport, while a fourth provides financial assistance for SUNY Brockport students who want to study abroad.

The Bauers’ dedication to children has borne fruit in other ways. The couple helped fund the construction of the Woodbury Preschool at the Strong and has paid for other projects at the nationally known museum, donating more than $65,000 over time. Their generosity has also benefited the Seneca Park Zoo Society and WXXI Public Broadcasting Council.

But the Bauers have been modest about their donations.

"There are many people who give much more than we do," George Bauer says.

Roger and Carolyn Friedlander

Ask Roger Friedlander why he and his wife, Carolyn, have contributed so much to local institutions, and he puts it simply.

"I consider it payback," he says.

The Friedlanders’ interest in education, the welfare of children, and medicine has driven their generosity. Over 34 years, they have given a total of $2.7 million to the University of Rochester, including $200,000 toward the recent renovation of the Eastman Theatre. An additional $114,000 has gone to the Hillside Family of Agencies, which serves children in need. The Friedlanders have also funded scholarships for local medical students and for Hillside nurses who desire additional training, and have given to other causes.

Besides giving financial assistance, the Friedlanders have helped guide many local institutions while serving on or leading their boards of directors. Roger Friedlander is a voting trustee of the University of Rochester and the secretary of the Hillside Family of Agencies’ board of governors, to name just two of his current volunteer positions. Carolyn Friedlander serves on the Hillside Children’s Center executive committee and has lent her talents to the Crestwood Children’s Center’s board of directors, to name just some of her activities.

Seeking to inculcate the spirit of giving in their children, the couple created the Friedlander Family Foundation in 1994. Their three children are trustees of the foundation, which has given out tens of thousands of dollars to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Golisano Children’s Hospital and other non-profit organizations.

Turula Family Fund Inc.

Religious institutions around the world have benefited from the support of the Turula Family Fund. Since it was created in 2000, the fund has donated more than $1.4 million to churches, monasteries and other institutions from Rochester to Kiev, Ukraine.

The Turula Fund began as a bequest by Eugene Turula, an Irondequoit resident and optical engineer who attended Greece’s St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church. When he died in 1997, he left a bequest to be used to benefit the Ukrainian Catholic Church. The Turula Fund was formed to make his desire come true.

"It was to aid or benefit the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States or Eastern Europe," says Stephen Turula, president, secretary and treasurer of the Turula Family Fund, who is Eugene Turula’s nephew.

Though primarily intended to aid the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the Turula Fund can be used to aid institutions that support the Ukrainian people and their culture and to assist Roman Catholic institutions. Donations have flowed from the fund to St. Josaphat, to a Ukrainian Catholic monastery in California, to the Ukrainian Museum and Library of Stamford, Conn., and even to the builders of a cathedral in Kiev.

Closer to home, the fund’s beneficiaries include St. Ann’s Community, which provides skilled nursing care and other services to senior citizens. Over the years, the fund has donated more than $167,000 to St. Ann’s, helping to finance outings, musical performances and other activities that have brought Ukrainian culture to its residents. By some estimates, 25,000 people of Ukrainian descent call the Rochester area home.

Philip Wegman

Philip Wegman’s generosity has helped build a senior citizen housing complex in Greece. Without his $1 million donation, the Wegman Family Cottages at the Park Ridge Living Center would not have opened in April.

"It was one of the largest cash gifts ever to the Unity Health System," says Timothy Balconi, president of the Unity Health System Foundation. The Park Ridge Living Center is part of the Unity Health System.

Wegman, no relation to the family with the grocery store chain, has a long history of using his energies and funds to benefit others. He has served on the boards of directors or boards of trustees of Park Ridge Hospital and the Aquinas Institute of Rochester. His gifts to Aquinas include half of the $1 million cost of the recently completed Mary P. Hastings and Ann K. Wegman Library.

Wegman is the president and CEO of Wegman Companies Inc., a full-service real estate development firm that has properties as far away as Ohio, including senior living communities.

The $23 million Wegman Family Cottages at the Park Ridge Living Center allow as many as 80 senior citizens to live in a homey setting while obtaining the skilled nursing services that they need. Balconi says that through his support for the project and other efforts, Wegman has shown an "extraordinary vision and generosity about the needs of the elderly in the Unity Health System, and our ability to serve them."

Janet and Ethan Welch M.D.

Down through the years, Janet and Ethan Welch M.D. have given vast amounts of time and money to help St. Joseph’s Villa of Rochester heal the troubled youths it serves. It all started with a hole in the ceiling.

St. Joseph’s Villa needed help financing the construction of the Education Complex, an addition to its campus that included new classrooms and a gymnasium, in the 1980s. The agency wanted Janet Welch to co-chair the fundraising effort for the $1.3 million project. Its executive director sealed the deal by showing Welch the ordinary room that the agency was using as a gym. Half of its ceiling tiles had been punched out.

"It was clearly evident somebody needed to do something about raising the money to find a proper place for kids to play," Welch says.

She saw the Education Complex to completion in 1982 and then joined St. Joseph’s board of directors, eventually serving as its chairwoman. In the 1990s, her husband also began to volunteer on agency committees.

Over the years, the Welches have given their time and energy to all sorts of fundraising efforts for St. Joseph’s Villa and have donated about $150,000. They currently co-chair the Villa Vanguard Society, which promotes legacy donations to the agency. In recognition of their efforts, St. Joseph’s Villa created the Janet & Ethan Welch Founders Award, which is given to people who have shown a significant commitment to the agency and its mission.

The Welches also have been active with other local non-profits, including the Rochester Area Community Foundation. In recognition of her philanthropic efforts, in 2002 the foundation presented its Joe U. Posner Founders Award to Janet Welch.

Timothy and Robin Wentworth

Timothy and Robin Wentworth’s gifts to Monroe Community College also make music.

The duo donated an $83,000 Steinway grand piano to the college from which they graduated in 1980. The piano is only one manifestation of the Wentworths’ effort to give back. The husband and wife have given or pledged a total of $250,000 to MCC since 2009.

"The benefits that they’ve brought to MCC are enormous," says Mark Pastorella, director of development for the Monroe Community College Foundation.

MCC holds a special place in the Wentworths’ hearts for many reasons. The couple met on campus when Timothy Wentworth was studying for an associate degree in business on a scholarship and Robin was seeking a degree in music. After they graduated, Timothy worked his way up the corporate ladder, eventually becoming group president for employer accounts at Medco Health Solutions Inc., a New Jersey firm. In honor of his achievements, MCC admitted Timothy to its Alumni Hall of Fame in 2000.

In 2009, the Wentworths, who now live in New Jersey, decided to begin giving back to the college that had had such a positive effect on their lives. They created the Tim and Robin Wentworth Endowed Scholarship Fund, and funded it with $50,000. The money is to be used to help students in financial need who maintain at least a 2.5 grade-point average. The couple has pledged an additional $125,000 to the college, in addition to the gift of the Steinway.

"We are elated with their support and generosity," Pastorella says.

Christine G. Adamo, Mike Costanza, Lynette Haaland, Sheila Livadas and Debbie Waltzer contributed to this article.

11/5/10 (c) 2010 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or e-mail [email protected].