Making a difference: Community Leadership Award winners announced

On Tuesday, financial advisers who made exceptional charitable contributions to local communities were honored by 650 executives at the Fourth annual Community Leadership Awards.

The five categories of awards were presented by Invest in Others Charitable Foundation and InvestmentNews at the Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

The honorees and award winners, “have given hope to each of us here tonight showing us the way to better our world, one community at a time,” said Kandis Bates, president of the Foundation.

Originally, the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation had planned to donate $10,000 to the winners’ designated charities. But Ms. Bates announced the foundation would boost the donation to $15,000 to the winners’ charities. The foundation also bolstered the donation for each of the finalists charities from $500 to $3,500.

Sean and Leigh Anne Touhy, the couple who inspired the best selling book and motion picture, “The Blind Side,” were the keynote speakers at the ceremony.

Mike Berry, partner at Colorado West Financial Advisors LLC, was named Volunteer of the Year. Mr. Berry created Kids Aid – a program that distributes extra food weekly to school children.

“We’ll keep helping kids be kids,” he said. “Getting to help people really does feel like Christmas every day.”

William Sparks, vice president of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, won the Mentoring Excellence award. Mr. Sparks founded Los Angelitos de Encinitas, which has provided after-school programs for more than 225 disadvantaged children.

He and his wife tried to work with the school district for three years to improve conditions for low-income children and ultimately decided to start their own non-profit group.

“People need to find their passion,” he said. “This was it for me.”

The Community Service Award was given to John Hyland, managing partner of Morristown (N.J.) Financial Group.

Mr. Hyland began volunteering with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in 1993 in honor of an aunt who had died of acute myeloid leukemia the year before.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hyland has been diagnosed with AML and is undergoing treatment. He was unable to attend the ceremony because he was in the hospital completing a final round of chemotherapy,.

Patrick Sullivan, managing partner with Morristown, accepted the award on Mr. Hyland’s behalf.

“We’ve all been inspired by John,” Mr. Sullivan said. “He’s made such a great difference in people’s lives.”

For the first time, a new award dubbed The Global Community Impact Award was given. This was given to Paul Martel, president and founder of YHB Investment Advisors Inc. Conn. He is the founder of the Centro Medico Integral “Dulce Refugio” in Riobamba, Ecuador.

The center provides health, nutrition, and dental care to the local population,which has little or no access to health care. Mr. Martel said the $15,000 award would be used to build an operating room and a delivery room in the second floor of the clinic.

“It was a dream of mine to have my own clinic,” he said. “Those of us who work in third world countries realize the gift we have when we come home.”

The Volunteer Team Award was given to the North Star Resource Group, led by chairman and chief executive Phil Richards. The team’s financial advisers and staffers have donated nearly $1.2 million to its charitable arm, The Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation since it began in 2004.

“This is an especially gratifying moment in my life,” Mr. Richards said at last night’s ceremony.