Story by: Julie Kruer on December 15, 2021
The Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Louisville Chapter recently presented five of its eight awards to individuals or organizations connected to the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation or Norton Healthcare Foundation.
The awards presentation was held to observe National Philanthropy Day, which celebrates charitable work that makes a difference in communities, with standout individuals and organizations recognized for their exceptional contributions in 2021.
Heather Singleton, CFRE, system director, events and community outreach, for the Norton Healthcare Foundation and Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation
The Frank W. Penick Founder’s Award was created in 2000 as a tribute to Frank, a founding member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Louisville Chapter. The award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to the advancement of the development profession. All recipients are certified fundraising professionals with at least 10 years of experience. This award is funded by an endowment established by Frank and provides a grant to support the recipient’s continuing professional education.
“During Heather’s tenure with the foundations of more than 10 years, she has overseen the creation and expansion of more than 20 fundraising and community events,” said Lynnie Meyer, Ed.D., R.N., CFRE, senior vice president and chief development officer, Norton Healthcare. “Heather has had a positive impact on many organizations in the Louisville community, and her talents for raising money for nonprofits through special events and community partnerships have earned her a well-known reputation. We are so grateful for her leadership and all that she has done to further the mission of our foundations.”
Super Drew’s Crew (Jeremy and Sondra Esposito)
This award recognizes an individual or group who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in raising money and organizing volunteers for major fundraising projects for more than one organization, all within the Louisville/Southern Indiana region.
“Super Drew” is Drew Esposito, a local pediatric cancer survivor, and his crew is led by his parents, Jeremy and Sondra Esposito. They formed Super Drew’s Crew in 2019 to raise funds in support of children who are currently undergoing treatment for cancer, and their families. They support Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, through the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation as well as other local pediatric cancer support initiatives such as a grant program they began to help provide food, lodging, rent and utilities for families of children in treatment for brain tumors.
“We are so grateful to the Esposito family for dedicating their time and energy to help support our patients and their families during their time of need,” said Anne Cannon, CFRE, director of events and donor relations for the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation and Norton Healthcare Foundation. “We could not do what we do without the support of people like Super Drew’s Crew.”
Tom Dunbar
This award recognizes an individual with a proven record of exceptional generosity who, through direct financial support to charities in Greater Louisville/Southern Indiana demonstrates outstanding civic and charitable responsibility, and whose generosity encourages others to take on philanthropic leadership roles on local, national, and international levels.
Tom’s son, Evan Dunbar, was only 6 years old when he passed away from pediatric cancer. During this same period, Tom also lost his father to cancer. After so much grief, many would turn away, but Tom has channeled his grief into working to end the suffering of others as a passionate advocate for pediatric and adult cancer research to end the disease for all. In 2021, Tom committed to provide up to $1.5 million to the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation for pediatric cancer research at Norton Children’s Cancer Institute. This gift, through the Evan Dunbar Foundation, will create the Evan Dunbar Pediatric Cancer Research Program. Tom has been a longtime supporter of Norton Children’s Hospital and established the annual Evan Dunbar Lectureship series in 2001, which was originally created for caregivers and medical professionals with an interest in current pediatric oncology research. For the first time in its history, this year’s lectureship welcomed members of the community who share an interest in current pediatric oncology research.
“Tom’s support has been vital to children in our community,” Lynnie said. “We would love to see a world without childhood cancer, which requires support from the entire community.”
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Amelie Beck and Jacqueline Teague, VaxConnectKY
This award recognizes an individual or a group of young people ages 5 to 17 (at time of nomination) who demonstrated outstanding commitment to the Greater Louisville/Southern Indiana community through any or all of these activities: direct financial support, development of charitable programs, volunteering or leadership in philanthropy.
After seeing the difficulties their grandparents experienced when trying to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine, cousins and Sacred Heart Academy students Jacqueline Teague and Amelie Beck took action, launching VaxConnectKY. Its mission is to provide the technical and personal support necessary to ensure every senior citizen or person in need in Kentucky has a simple way to register for a COVID-19 vaccination. The teens have assisted over 2,000 individuals in getting scheduled or vaccinated, many through Norton Healthcare.
“Throughout the pandemic, these young women have continually transitioned to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable,” Lynnie said. “Most importantly, they have selflessly given of their time to help this vulnerable population receive the lifesaving vaccines they need. While we may never know how many lives these young ladies saved, we have no doubt of the great impact they have made.”
David and Rebekah Hussung
This award recognizes an individual who has made a planned gift or has helped to promote planned giving in our community. The Leave a Legacy Award is named in honor and memory of Baylor Landrum Jr., a hero to many organizations in our community.
The Hussung family and Hussung Mechanical Contractors have been supporters of the Norton Healthcare Foundation and Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation for more than 20 years. In 2018, the Hussungs made a commitment to provide a social worker to help patients with movement disorders at Norton Neuroscience Institute. This gift helped patients navigate the world of insurance, helped with disease education and helped navigate any financial assistance that the patient might need. In 2021, David and Rebekah committed to a planned gift to ensure excellence in multiple sclerosis (MS) services at Norton Healthcare for years to come.
“The Hussung Family’s planned gift will ensure that MS services have the resources needed well into the future,” said Adam Fields, CFRE, system director for major gifts and campaigns for Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation and Norton Healthcare Foundation. “With this planned gift, The Hussung Family Multiple Sclerosis Center, located on the Norton Healthcare – St. Matthews campus, now bears the family’s name, and we will be in an even stronger position to serve this community.”
Congratulations!
On behalf of Norton Healthcare, Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation and Norton Healthcare Foundation, a huge congratulations to each of this year’s award recipients. As a not-for-profit hospital and health care system, we rely on the support of the community to provide quality health care to all those we serve. We are so grateful for each of the award winner’s passionate commitment to helping further our mission.