Past Spirit of Philanthropy Honorees

West Virginia is fortunate to have a state of individuals, organizations, and staff who contribute their time, talent and travel to spread the Spirit of Philanthropy. In 2007, Philanthropy West Virginia founded the Spirit of Philanthropy Awards Program to recognize outstanding philanthropic leaders for their generosity in support of their communities, regions, and state. The Spirit of Philanthropy Awards Program has three awards (Volunteer Leadership, Staff Leadership, and Critical Impact) that are announced at the Annual Conference each year.

Critical Impact Award

Philanthropy West Virginia believes that extraordinary efforts deserve widespread recognition., celebrating local grantmaking that has changed lives and communities for the better. Recipients may include one grant project under $5,000 and one grant project over $5,000. The projects will serve as a model for others in philanthropy and will demonstrate creativity, innovation and sustainability.

Volunteer Leadership Award

The Volunteer Leadership Award honors an individual exhibiting an extraordinary commitment to philanthropy. They excel in their role as an individual philanthropist through their personal giving, their company’s philanthropy, engaging others to give, and/or serving as a board member of a philanthropic organization. This person served as a catalyst in philanthropy in their community, exhibited creativity, leadership and made a significant impact. 

Corporate Responsibility Leader Award

The Corporate Responsibility Leader Award recognizes outstanding companies, of any size, who are actively donating, volunteering, and making a difference in local communities and the state of West Virginia.

Staff Leadership Award

The Staff Leadership Award honors an individual exhibiting an extraordinary commitment to philanthropy in the state of West Virginia. This staff member (volunteer or paid) excels in his or her role by demonstrating exceptional commitment and leadership in the field. Creativity is a significant component of the individual’s efforts and the impact of his or her work has been clearly demonstrated. 

2020 Honorees:

• Critical Impact Award: Beckley Area Foundation COVID-19 Relief Efforts
• Staff Leadership Award: Marian Clowes, Parkersburg Area Community Foundation
• Volunteer Leadership Award: Billy Atkins
• Corporate Responsibility Award: Star Plastics

2019 Honorees:

• Critical Impact Award:  Foundation for the Tri-State (FTSC) & America’s Best Communities Huntington Collaborative (stand in for FTSC is Philanthropy WV board member Janell Ray)
• Volunteer Leader:  Jean Clark, Preston County, WV and Board Member of Your Community Foundation of North Central WV
• Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Leader: C.J. Kaiser, Wheeling, WV and long-time board member of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley
• Corporate Responsibility Leader: Dominion Energy and Inaugural Award recipient
• Staff Leader:  Tamara Mullins, Nicholas County Community Foundation
• Lifetime Achievement Staff Leader: Sheri Ryder, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation

2018 Honorees:

• The Critical Impact Award: Two honorees for their crowd-funding collaboration: Parkersburg Area Community Foundation and Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley

• The Volunteer Leadership Award: Mimi Wilson of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network’s Board of Directors. .

• The Lifetime Volunteer Leadership Award goes to Dr. Usha Vasan for her long-time commitment to the Mid-Ohio Valley community. 

• The Staff Leadership Award: Kim Barber Tieman of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation

• The Lifetime Staff Leadership Award: William “Pat” Getty, retiring president of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

2017 Honorees