The Association of Fundraising Professionals San Luis Obispo County Chapter (AFP SLO) is pleased to announce the fifth annual celebration of National Philanthropy Day® (NPD) in San Luis Obispo County. NPD is a special day set aside to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy makes to our society and our world. The Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year Award is a time-honored tradition among AFP chapters all across the world and San Luis Obispo is no exception. Past honorees have included Bert and Candace Forbes, Clifford Clark and the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust, Howard Carroll, Trustee. This year’s honor goes to Joan Gellert-Sargen, a long-time, local philanthropist. In addition to the Outstanding Philanthropist Award, our local AFP Chapter will also present a special President’s Award to Sandi Sigurdson. The President’s Award is presented at the discretion of the Board in honor of a noteworthy individual celebrating a noteworthy year. In Sandi’s case, she is retiring as the Executive Director of Leadership SLO after 10 years of training leaders and more than 30 years as an exceptional nonprofit leader. AFP SLO County is thrilled to honor these two women for their years of generous philanthropy and service to our community and hope you will join them in celebrating their contributions.
A luncheon celebration will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel (333 Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo) on Thursday, November 14, 2019, 11:30 am-1:30 pm. For the second year, the Premier sponsor for the National Philanthropy Day Celebration is The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo. Individual seating for the event is available at $50 per person. Business Partner and Table Sponsorships range from $500-
$1,000. To purchase tickets for the event, please visit community.afpglobal.org/afpcasanluisobispochapter or email [email protected].
ABOUT THE AWARDS
The Award for Outstanding Philanthropist honors an individual with a proven record of exceptional generosity who, through direct financial support, demonstrates outstanding civic and charitable responsibility and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles. Joan Gellert-Sargen has been changing lives through her generosity in San Luis Obispo County since moving here with her family in 1992. One would be hard-pressed to find a nonprofit organization in San Luis Obispo County that has not benefited from Joan’s philanthropic support. Naming just a partial list, Joan has generously supported Cuesta College, French Hospital, the Community Counseling Center, Cal Poly, the YMCA, SLO Food Bank, Central Coast Aquarium, Cal Poly Arts, 40 Prado, Pacific Wildlife Care, Wilshire Hospice, KCBX, CAPSLO, the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center, Family Care Network, the Clark Center, SLO Symphony, SLO Repertory Theatre and so many more. Joan’s philanthropy is generous, widespread and contagious. AFP SLO County is thrilled to announce this long overdue honor.
“Joan is an inspiration and sets forth a perfect example of how to give selflessly to important causes while making a true impact with her gifts.” – Marie Rosenwasser, Council Member of the Cuesta College Cultural and Performing Arts Center.
ABOUT THE AFP PRESIDENT’S AWARD and SANDI SIGURDSON
The AFP President’s Award is an honorary distinction given at the discretion of the AFP Board President to select and extraordinary individuals who are celebrating a landmark year. As executive director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony from 1994 to 2009, Sandi Sigurdson managed their growth from a small community orchestra with a budget of $300,000 to the respected and successful organization it is today with a budget of over $1 million. Along the way, she inspired and mentored future nonprofit leaders and fledgling volunteer board members who continue to serve this community. Now retiring after 10 years as Executive Director of Leadership SLO, Sandi has inspired hundreds of new leaders for both the nonprofit, public and for profit sector, all the while promoting and encouraging “giving back” to our community through service and philanthropy.
For more information about this event or about becoming a member of the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, please visit community.afpglobal.org/afpcasanluisobispochapter or email [email protected].
