AESI - AESI Sponsors Chamber of Commerce's Annual "Focus on Philanthropy" and Non-Profit Awards Event

		AESI Sponsors Chamber of Commerce's Annual "Focus on Philanthropy" and Non-Profit Awards Event "Impact Award" to be Presented MEDIA RELEASE Contact: Fred Teeter, Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce, 301-739-2015 For Immediate Release: (Hagerstown, MD Nov. 10, 2003) -- The Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Third Annual "Focus on Philanthropy" on November 18th at The Plaza. The breakfast event is a forum that this year includes an important award for one deserving non-profit organization. According to Homewood Foundation, Inc. VP of Funds Development and a member of the Homewood Retirement Corporation's senior management team, John Warren, "This event focuses on the non-profit community and its business practices. Everyone who works with non-profits, or who is associated with their efforts, can learn more about Washington County’s fastest growing business sector." Warren, who chairs the chamber's task force, explained that there is a high percentage of Washington County workers employed in the non-profit sector, "There are more than 400 nonprofits in Washington County, and the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce plans to honor one of them for its work. It's a growing part of our economy. There are thousands of workers involved in the non-profit sector, and this annual event showcases many organizations, while providing an educational opportunity." Warren explained that new this year is a $1,000 cash prize. "We joined together with the United Way and the Community Foundation in planning this, picking up from our prior years' successful events. The Community Foundation stepped forward and donated the $1,000 cash prize, and we enlisted the aid of a team of select judges who reviewed the entries from nominated organizations. The award will be going to the one non-profit that the judges have selected as having the most impact on its clientele. We ended up with 15 finalists making it into the final round of judging, but only one non-profit will be selected. It will be an exciting day." The winner will be announced at the breakfast event. "We are trying to raise the awareness of the importance of philanthropy in this county," said United Way Executive Director James Taylor, who helped plan the event. "The goal is to highlight an organization that is really going above and beyond." Brad Sell, executive director of the Community Foundation, said the impact of nonprofits goes beyond economic contributions made by the people who work for those agencies and pay taxes. Taylor said many nonprofits employ large numbers of people in jobs throughout the county or bring services to hundreds of youths. Sell said all nonprofits that are registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) agency were eligible to apply for the award "Agencies can range from booster clubs on up," Sell said. Chamber of Commerce President Fred Teeter urged members of the business community to attend this annual event. "The 3rd annual Focus on Philanthropy Forum at the Plaza Hotel starts with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on November 18. We expect that more than a score of informative exhibits will be showcasing the best of our non-profit community. We expect to hear a stirring presentation about the charitable impact in 2004 from Lewis Saylor of Centreville United Methodist Church and president of Saylor Solutions Unlimited, Inc." Teeter said that Saylor is a sought-after speaker of renown, who is an expert in the charitable giving field. The event costs $18 for chamber members, and $30 for non-chamber members. The Non-Profit Impact Award is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Washington County. Focus on Philanthropy is sponsored by Waypoint Bank with additional support from Associated Engineering Sciences, Inc., Brook Lane Health Services, Homewood Retirement Centers and McCurdy & Singer, PA. According to Associated Engineering Sciences, Inc. Principal Rich Reichenbaugh, "We're very glad to be a part of this event. The non-profit community is the fastest growing segment of Western Maryland's economy. More than 9.5-percent of Washington County's workforce is directly employed by non-profits. Many of our clients are non-profit organizations. We feel that, as an engineering firm, we can help bring awareness to this growing part of our economic base." For more information about the event, see: http://www.hagerstown.org/ecast/4fc288db6bb1ce99bd73996825eb1a8b.pdf, or link through the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce's web site: www.hagerstown.org. For more information, or to register for the event, call: 301-739-2015. # # # # Submitted by Tom Riford Business and Community Development Committee Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce << back to news