Many of us rarely step out of our rigid routines to reach out to others. As much as we want to volunteer our time, donate money or lend a helping hand, we often seem consumed by work, taking care of our families and getting through our daily lives. There just never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially the helping-others part, or so we convince ourselves.
Working closely with the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation over the past four years has allowed me to see the selflessness of so many people in the financial advisory industry and how these people give so much of their time, energy and resources, without seeking anything in return.
Serving as a judge for the Community Leadership Awards, sponsored by
InvestmentNews and the foundation, has shown me how some people not only make the time but also accomplish remarkable things during that time.
The CLAs were created to recognize financial advisers from brokerage and registered investment advisory firms of all sizes for their roles as volunteer leaders in charitable organizations in their communities. The awards pay tribute to the philanthropic spirit of advisers by honoring them for their dedication, enthusiasm and hard work, as well as the lasting impact of their charitable efforts.
Selecting finalists from the hundreds of nominations each year has never been easy. And with each passing year, the CLA entries seem to become even more inspirational.
“Having the chance to read these nominees and the tremendous actions they've taken has been very gratifying,” said Kevin R. Keller, chief executive of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. and one of the 12 executives from leading industry organizations who volunteered to help judge the CLAs.
“All of these individuals deserve our appreciation and admiration. It's very humbling to see how these professionals took the little personal time they have in their busy lives and used it to not just help their fellow Americans but those individuals throughout the world whose lives have been forever altered because of their self-sacrifice,” Mr. Keller said.
“We hear a lot about America turning into the "me' society, but seeing the quantity and quality of the entrants has restored my faith in human kindness,” said Ellen Turf, chief executive of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and a CLA judge.
“It is truly amazing to see how many folks give of their resources, their talent and, most important, their valuable time to a multitude of worthy causes,” said David Tittsworth, executive vice president and executive director of the Investment Adviser Association, who also served as a CLA judge.
“To say the least, it was incredibly challenging to try to select a few finalists from so many well-deserving submissions,” he added.
“By the nature of how financial planners and advisers serve their clients in a comprehensive manner, it is not surprising to see so many of them participating in special activities to give back to society at large,” said Marv Tuttle, executive director and chief executive of the Financial Planning Association and a CLA judge. “It is just part of the DNA of who they are.”
Each finalist should be quite proud of themselves, and I want to recognize them here.
In the Community Service category, the adviser finalists are John Hyland of Morristown Financial Group, Randy Lillard of
Edward Jones and D. Timothy Pinkney of The Savant Group.
In the Mentoring Excellence category, the adviser finalists are Linda Haines of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC; Steve Lahre, also of MSSB; and Bill E. Sparks of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.
In the Volunteer of the Year category, the adviser finalists are Mike Berry of Colorado West Financial Advisors LLC, Michelle Brennan Hall of Brennan Financial Services and R. Mark Shepherd of Shepherd Financial Partners.
In the group category — for the Volunteer Team Award — the adviser finalists are Joseph De Sena, Mary Terino and Katie Coleman of De Sena Terino & Associates; Tony Blauvelt, Janelle Blauvelt and Sharron Harley of
Edward Jones; and the advisers and team members of North Star Resource Group.
In the Global Community Impact category, the adviser finalists are Ruthie Willingham Lentz of
Wells Fargo Advisors, Paul Martel of YHB Investment Advisors Inc. and Bob Solis of MSSB.
They all deserve our admiration, praise and thanks.
Jim Pavia is the editor of InvestmentNews.
