Nomination call for Columbus Pillar Award for Community Service

Are you a pillar of the community? Is one of your clients? If so, consider nominating your company or another deserving business for a Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service presented by Smart Business. The Medical Mutual Pillar Award honors responsible corporate citizens that understand the importance of giving back to the communities that support it.

The Pillar Award for Community Service was developed by Smart Business and Medical Mutual to honor businesses and individuals dedicated to making Central Ohio a better place to live. The program is designed to demonstrate the tie between the for-profit and nonprofit worlds and showcase 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; and
  • Build a sustaining fund, which provides grants for local nonprofit organizations in their mission to serve the people of Central Ohio (The Pillar Fund).

There are six distinct award categories:

  • Pillar Award – Presented to for-profi t businesses for their community service efforts
  • Medical Mutual S.H.A.R.E. Award – Presented to one company annually that best exemplifies employee-driven community service, philanthropy or volunteerism
  • CVS Samaritan Award – Recognizes organizations that best display a consistent track record of helping people break the cycle of poverty
  • Charles Penzone Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year – Honors contributions by for-profit business executives who serve as members of nonprofi t boards
  • Rea & Associates Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year – Recognizes nonprofit executive directors who effectively apply for-profit business principles to their organizations
  • Kent Clapp CEO Leadership Award – Recognizes the top executive of a for-profit company for creating a culture of giving. 

For coverage of the 2010 honorees, click here. To see video interviews with several of the nominees, click here.

Nomination forms (PDFs): Pillar Award for Community Service nomination form (also used for Medical Mutual S.H.A.R.E. Award, CVS Samaritan Award, and Kent Clapp CEO Leadership Award).

Rea & Associates Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year Award nomination form.

Charles Penzone Nonprofit Board Executive of the Year Award nomination form.

Nominations will be judged by an independent panel, who will base their decisions on information provided in the nomination form. Honorees will be notified in October of the judges’ decision, recognized at the Pillar Award for Community Service recognition banquet on January 13, 2011, and featured in the January 2011 edition of Smart Business Columbus.

Eligibility
Nominees must have a physical presence or be headquartered in the Central Ohio region. Individuals and organizations are eligible based on the specific award criteria.

Community service defined
The Pillar Award embraces a broad definition of community service. It may consist of charitable giving, volunteerism, pro bono work or other forms of giving back. Service may be limited to a single organization or cause, or spread across numerous organizations and causes. Each nominee will be judged based on impact relative to its size and strength rather than overall size of the contribution or effort.

The Pillar Fund
The mission of The Pillar Fund is to reward nonprofit institutions that demonstrate the requisite financial need and use smart business practices; implement innovative ideas and creatively maximize their financial and human resource capital to strengthen their organization; and enhance their service to the people of Central Ohio

Nominations must be received by 3 p.m., October 8, 2010

If you have any questions, please contact Caroline Calfee at 1-866-582-7011 or [email protected]

 The 2011 Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service is presented by Medical Mutual and sponsored by CVS/Caremark, Rea & Associates, Charles Penzone, McDonald Hopkins, Smart Business, Ohio.net, Creekside Conference and Event Center and Hughie’s Audio-Visual & Computer.