Advisers recognized for giving back to their communities

A spotlight was on 15 financial advisers for their extraordinary commitment to their communities and five were singled out for special honors at the seventh annual Community Leadership Awards in New York on Thursday night. Awards in five categories were presented by Invest in Others Charitable Foundation and InvestmentNews. The Invest in Others Charitable Foundation will make a $20,000 donation to the charity of each category winner. In addition, a donation of $5,000 will go to the charities of the other finalists. “We are lucky to have an industry with so many individuals and firms willing to give back,” said Suzanne Siracuse, publisher of Investment News. “I am never prouder of what we do than this time of year, when we can honor and bring to light the good that exists in our business.” Michael J. Swallow of CBIZ Financial Services in Cleveland was named Volunteer of the Year for helping to create the Northeast Ohio Foundation for Patriotism, which helps support military families. Neopat has donated $250,000 to help 3,000 families since it was created in 2011. The finalists for this award were Hatim Smouni of Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Little Rock, Ark., for the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and Debra Brennan Tagg of Brennan Financial Services in Addison, Texas, for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Chris Kittrell of Rather & Kittrell Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn., won the Volunteer Team Award for providing impoverished families in Huntsville, Tenn., with food, clothing and other supplies. The Rather & Kittrell team raises funds from clients and others throughout the year. The finalists were John L. McKeever III of Financial Advisors of Delaware Valley in Conshohocken, Pa., for the Committee to Benefit the Children, and Amy Treat and Van Mason of StoneRidge Wealth Management in Portland, Ore., for the StoneRidge Foundation. Bruce E. Fyfe of ProVise Management Group LLC in Clearwater, Fla., received the Community Service Award for the Homeless Emergency Project Inc., which offers emergency housing and permanent supportive housing and food for those in need in Clearwater. The finalists were Craig W. Henderson of C.W. Henderson & Associates Inc. in Chicago, for the Chicago International Charter School, and Brian Keith Moon of West Texas Investment Advisors/SCF Securities in Plainview, Texas, for Hale Center Emergency Medical Service. The Global Community Impact award was given to Jessica Jones of Edward Jones in The Woodlands, Texas, for Build Your House on the Rock Ministries. She and her husband have funded college for 250 students in Guatemala and created a charitable trust that will continue supporting the cause after her death. The finalists were Larry Agee of True North Asset Management in Lake Charles, La., for Disaster Aid USA, and Bob Condon of Foundation Investment Group in Berkeley, Calif., for Community Partners International. Brett W. Hoge of BB&T Scott & Stringfellow in Winston-Salem, N.C., won the Mentoring Excellence Award for his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters (Winston-Salem). In addition to serving as a board member and fundraiser, he and his wife mentored three Littles over the past 11 years. The finalists were David L. Grey of Grey Investments LLC in Beverly, Mass., for Children's Friend & Family Services, and Jeffrey L. Rotsky of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management in Cleveland for the Rotsky Foundation for Mentors. A special report on the CLA honorees, who were selected from among 220 nominees, will appear in the Oct. 14 issue of InvestmentNews.