Community Foundation Seeks Nominations
for 2009 Wertheimer Fellow for 
Excellence in Volunteerism Awards

April 28, 2009: Now through June 30, The Community Foundation of Frederick County is accepting nominations for the 2009 Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism Awards.

“Each year, the public eagerly anticipates the chance to nominate a special person or persons who make a profound difference in the lives of others by volunteering their own special talents and energy in the Frederick County community,” said Community Foundation President Elizabeth Y. Day, who noted that the exceptional people nominated volunteer through sweat equity rather than financial capital.

The Community Foundation’s Wertheimer Fellows for Excellence in Volunteerism Awards is now in its seventh year and honors the legacy of the late Janis Miller Wertheimer, a well-known Frederick businesswoman and prolific volunteer who bequeathed the greater portion of her estate to the Community Foundation for the creation of two permanent funds. The Wertheimer Fellows program, celebrating excellence in volunteerism, is made possible through The Janis Miller Wertheimer Endowment Fund. 

Wertheimer Fellows are recognized at the Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community in November and are awarded $10,000 each to establish or add to a permanent fund with the Community Foundation for the nonprofit or charitable endeavor of their choice. 

Past Wertheimer Fellows include the late William O. Lee, Jr., Viola M. Noffsinger, Gail A. Wood, Elizabeth J. Brady, Charlotte and Charles Glick, the late Richard Markey, Dennis Cannon, Sandy Cox, Lawrence A. “Tommy” Dorsey, Cecilia Bach, Marlene England, Jane and Charles Smith, George and Ruth Dredden, Edna and Grace Smith, Jeannine Milyard, Robert F. Ward, Orley and Margaret Bourland, Dr. George Waxter, and Grace Winpigler.

At-risk youth, victims of domestic violence, the elderly, homeless families, children with disabilities, the hungry, people recovering from addictions, African-American historical programs, faith based initiatives, scouting programs, and students reaching for a better life through education have all been helped by the funds each Wertheimer Fellow has created or added to.

“Wertheimer Fellows lead extraordinary lives of volunteerism and leave a lasting legacy of giving in everything they do. The Community Foundation encourages everyone to consider a special volunteer by nominating them today as a 2009 Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism,” Ms. Day said. 

Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Community Foundation’s web site at www.cffredco.org and are also available at the Community Foundation’s office at 312 East Church Street, Frederick. Nominations must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009. For additional information, contact the Community Foundation at 301.695.7660.