Now in its 10th year, the Pillar Award for Community Service
was developed by Smart Business and Medical Mutual to honor
businesses and individuals dedicated to making Northeast Ohio
a better place to live.
The program demonstrates the tie between the for-profit
and nonprofit worlds and showcases best practices. It seeks
to:
- Publicize the importance of community service issues,
such as philanthropy and volunteerism - Share creative ideas about how companies have a positive
impact in their communities - Honor companies and individuals who go beyond the minimum expectation of community service
- Build a sustaining fund, administered by the Cleveland
Foundation, which provides grants for local, nonprofit
organizations in their mission to serve the people of
Northeast Ohio (The Pillar Fund)
The judging panel handled the difficult task of poring over
nominations to determine this year’s honorees. Judges
looked at engagement, level of commitment, breadth of philanthropy, focus and, most important, impact.
The 2007 Pillar judges are:
- Terry Davis, executive director, Our Lady of the Wayside,
a Pillar Fund grant recipient - Kent W. Clapp, chairman, president and CEO, Medical
Mutual of Ohio - Jim Milano, president of Milano Monuments and a 2006
Pillar Award honoree - Barb Cagley, president of SCK Design, and a 2003 Pillar
Award honoree - Fred Koury, president and CEO, Smart Business Network
