Honoring Excellence
Thanks for helping us celebrate!
Pictured L-R, Kurt Franck, President/General Manager and Executive Editor, The Toledo Blade; Tiffany Adamski, Executive Director, TutorSmart; Rori Quinonez, Executive Director, SAME Café; Stephen A. Rothschild, Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Federation of Toledo; Rick Russell, President and CEO, Hospice of Northwest; and Keith Burwell, President, Greater Toledo Community Foundation
To see all past recipients, click here.
Local nonprofit organizations nominated themselves for these awards, and winners were chosen by a committee comprised of sponsor representatives and a past recipient of the awards. Winners receive a one-of-a-kind glass award, $7,500 in unrestricted grant money from Greater Toledo Community Foundation and $1,000 in unrestricted grant money from The Andersons, plus a half-page ad in The Blade.
About the Awards
In recognition of Greater Toledo Community Foundation’s 50th Anniversary, a new award was announced for this year only – the 2023 Golden Anniversary Nonprofit Excellence Award. All previous innovation and excellence award winners since this program’s inception (covering 12 years) were invited to apply for a chance to win a $25,000 unrestricted grant. Six finalists for this award were chosen by a committee of GTCF board and staff, and all present at this year’s ceremony voted for the organization that exhibited the most impact and innovation in their programming and partnerships in the community.
The winner of the 2023 Golden Anniversary Nonprofit Excellence Award is Hospice of Northwest Ohio. Receiving the award on behalf of the organization was President and CEO, Rick Russell. In the forty years since Hospice of Northwest Ohio began operations, the organization has increased its annual number of patients served from 90 to more than 2,300. Two inpatient hospice units, the first of their kind in northwest Ohio, offer a home-like setting with wooded views, family rooms and comfortable places for families to gather and spend their final hours with loved ones, while staff and volunteers provide around the clock medical care.
Excellence in Collaborative Programming
So All May Eat Café’ – SAME Café opened in 2022 in collaboration with the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. SAME Café is an innovative participation-based restaurant located in the downtown main library, providing access to healthy food in a community setting where people can be nourished with dignity while contributing what they can — such as time, money or produce — to the operation of the café.
SAME Café’s supportive approach helps people overcome the financial and logistical challenges of accessing healthful food and, for some, through job training, achieve housing and employment stability.
Excellence in Organizational Operations
Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo – This organization creates programs within the Jewish community between and among congregations including interfaith efforts, social action and meeting broad community needs. Their programs and services aim to enhance the health, welfare, education and cultural awareness of the entire Jewish community. Since 2022, it has made over 65 grants totaling nearly $85,000 to local secular charities. They support the communities in which they live.
Excellence in Strategic Action
TutorSmart Toledo was founded based on research by Greater Toledo Community Foundation, Toledo Public Schools and Lourdes University. TutorSmart’s goal was to find out why Toledo was not seeing a rise in education scores despite more than 120 organizations reporting to tutor across the city.
The study showed that most of what was being called tutoring was really homework help. Although that is beneficial to kids and families, it does not address the underlying skill deficits in a strategic way that promotes mastery. TutorSmart’s goals are to change this to lift the scores and improve tutoring of students in Greater Toledo.
