STEVENSVILLE, MD – Chesapeake Charities hosted “A Celebration of Charity” awards luncheon on Thursday, November 15 at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Stevensville. In its third year, the event recognizes people who give back to the community in an extraordinary way. Following the luncheon’s theme of “Breaking the Cycle of Poverty,” awards were presented to organizations and individuals focused on lifting families out of poverty by providing food for the hungry, safe and healthy homes, and shelter and services to prevent homelessness. The luncheon opened with a video greeting from Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development, praising and encouraging charitable giving.

“Events like this mean so much because we get to help people whose lives depend on giving back to others,” said Linda Kohler, executive director for Chesapeake Charities. “There’s no limit to where we can go as a community if we work together and pool our resources. Some of the challenges we face are daunting, like childhood hunger and homelessness, but I think if we have the will to solve those problems together, we can implement real solutions.”

Philanthropist of the Year was presented to Lock Wills, Chairman,  CEO and President of The Wills Group by Bernie Fowler, Jr., Executive Director of Farming4Hunger. Fowler, who received the Philanthropist award in 2017, said “The Wills Group has a family tradition of giving back to the communities they serve. Their corporate culture is built on the idea that we are all here to make a difference in the lives of the people around us.” 

Founded in 1926, The Wills Group has always been a good neighbor and corporate citizen.  In 2017, they provided 1.5 million meals for children in partnership with No Kid Hungry and collected 901 pounds of food.  Through their Safe and Healthy Homes initiative, The Wills Group assisted 678 households through the Maryland Energy Assistance Program, distributed $61,304 and provided 16 households with heating equipment through SMO Cares.

“It is a profound honor for all of us at The Wills Group to be recognized by Chesapeake Charities as Philanthropist of the Year,” said Lock Wills. “We want to ensure that our communities’ basic needs of food and shelter are met. and through our relationship with Chesapeake Charities, and our partners, customers, and the hard work of our employees, we’ve been able to make a real impact.”

In 2018, The Blackie Wills Community Leadership Fund supported several partnerships, including one with Share Our Strength, an organization focused on eliminating childhood hunger, and one with Rebuilding Together, an organization that completes approximately 10,0000 projects annually to repair homes, revitalize communities and rebuild lives.  The Fund also provided support to the Maryland Food Bank, the Southern Maryland Food Bank and Lifestyles of Maryland, a Southern Maryland nonprofit organization that serves approximately 14,000 individuals by providing emergency assistance, transportation, housing and job training. 

The Light House Homeless Prevention Support Center of Annapolis was named Nonprofit of the Year. For nearly 30 years, the Light House has been changing lives by providing a place of belonging, education and training programs, and a continuum of services so that families remain connected and supported as their lives improve and they face new challenges. Through the Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) program, over 300 people have received culinary arts and hospitality training since 2012, qualifying them for gainful employment in Anne Arundel County and beyond.

The organization also launched a full-service restaurant on West Street in Annapolis, The Light House Bistro, which provides valuable employment skills and job opportunities for B.E.S.T. graduates so they can get a good job and earn enough to afford permanent housing. This self-sustaining and revenue-generating social enterprise supports the ongoing workforce development and housing programs at The Light House and is a model for how a community should care for its neighbors experiencing homelessness. 

Mark Freestate of Queen Anne’s County was honored as Volunteer of the Year for his work with Saint Martin’s Ministries in Ridgely, Maryland, whose mission is to provide a safety net to individuals and families living in poverty on the Eastern Shore. Saint Martin’s has a 33-year history of building trust and delivering needed services to a vulnerable segment of the population in Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties. As Board Chair, Freestate kept Saint Martin’s on course through challenging times and because of his vision, determination and leadership, the board, staff and donors of Saint Martin’s Ministries have a renewed focus and commitment.

For the second year, The Governor Larry Hogan Scholarship was awarded to an exemplary medical student pursuing a career in cancer research. Bridgette Lundfelt, Outreach Director from the Office of the Governor presented the 2018 Governor Hogan Scholarship to Amy Nemirovsky, a promising third-year medical student at the University of Maryland. Amy’s career plans include urologic oncology and cancer research so that she can bring better treatment options to her patients.

Jeremy Todd, a third-year medical school student at Eastern Virginia Medical School, received a $500 honorarium. Todd has chosen interventional radiology as his specialty. Alex Tsai also received a $500 award to assist him as he completes concurrent MD and PhD programs at the University of Maryland. Tsai will dedicate his career to the development of cancer immunotherapies through research.

Sponsors for the luncheon include the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, the Rural Maryland Council, WHBG Certified Public Accountants, GTI/Rise Maryland, The Star Democrat, Shore United Bank, Avon Dixon, The Marksmen Company, Customer Relationship Metrics and Chaney Enterprises.

Chesapeake Charities is a community foundation in Stevensville, Maryland that supports over 90 nonprofit funds that impact a range of charitable causes including animal welfare, arts, education, health and human services, and the environment. To date they have generated more than $25 million in investment and grant funding for charitable projects in eight counties: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Caroline, Charles, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot. For more information, contact Chesapeake Charities at (410) 643-4020 or info@chesapeakecharities.org, or visit www.chesapeakecharities.org. Chesapeake Charities is accredited by the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.

Photos: (1) Lock Wills, Chairman, President and CEO of The Wills Group with Audrey Scott, Chesapeake Charities Board Chair and Linda Kohler, Chesapeake Charities Executive Director at 2018 Celebration of Charity awards luncheon. 


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