AWARDS CELEBRATION HONOREES
2023–2025 honorees are listed below.
For earlier years, see the Past Honorees PDF.
2025 Honorees
Equity in Action
Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care - Represented by David Wiley
David became President & CEO for Kansas City Hospice in September 2016 after serving as the Chief Operating Officer for two years. Prior to that, David served on the Kansas City Hospice Board of Directors for 14 months beginning 2013. As CEO, David has hired a new executive team and worked to instill a culture of support and servant leadership enabling our frontline teams to provide high level care.
David came to KCH with more than twenty years of progressive leadership experience at H&R Block, a fortune 500 company located in Kansas City. His experience and leadership roles included field management, call center, finance, accounting and cross-functional leadership of organizations. David loves to volunteer and understands the impact that volunteers can make to those they serve which is so important in end-of-life care.
Stronger Together
Northeast Community Center-Home of Harmony Project KC and The Greater KC Hispanic Development Fund - Represented by Kyla Pitts-Zevin and John Kearney
The Northeast Community Center utilizes the universal language of music to develop young musicians and minds, partner with families, and build community in Kansas City. In a neighborhood with 25+ languages spoken, music is the universal language. Together, they are orchestrating a thriving community through access to music education and wraparound services including educational and supportive programs.
The mission of the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund is to improve the quality of life of Latino families in Greater Kansas City by engaging the Latino community in philanthropy to build stronger communities through grantmaking and scholarship support.
Nonprofit Catalyst (Staff Member - Small Organization)
Kathryn Walker - ARTS KC
Kathryn Walker, Vice President of Finance & Operations, joined ArtsKC in 2009. She oversees the financial functions, human resources, contract management, grant writing, and risk assessment for the organization. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Business Administration degree and is CPA certified. Prior to joining ArtsKC, she worked for many years in Community Development, both as a Director of Finance and as an Executive Director. Her for-profit experience included accounting and managerial work for a major law firm and a commercial real estate company. Spanning the four decades of her professional career with 15 years at ArtsKC, she brings knowledge and wisdom to the workplace. She truly believes in the mission of "Advancing Lives Through the Arts" and knows that the work ArtsKC is doing makes systemic change in the quality of life for the region. The loves of her life include her spouse, grown children and their families, which includes five grandchildren. She enjoys and supports music, theater and reading in her personal life.
Nonprofit Catalyst (Staff Member- Large Organization)
Gloria Jackson-Leathers - Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Gloria Jackson-Leathers is senior advisor to the president, community engagement at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
She is responsible for fostering and enhancing relationships between the Foundation and the diverse communities it serves. As a key advisor on matters related to community engagement, Jackson-Leathers provides vision, direction, and oversight to help advance the foundation's community engagement initiatives. She is a former commissioner of the Greater Kansas City Housing Authority and former board member of Visit KC as well as the Ewing Marion Kauffman School.
Nonprofit Catalyst (Executive-Small Organization)
Bobbi Jo Reed - Healing House KC
Bobbi-Jo Reed is a person in long-term recovery with 25 years of continuous sobriety. She is the Founder and CEO of Healing House, Inc. in the Historic Northeast KC.
She is Chair of the Kansas City Recovery Coalition, member of the Missouri-Division of Behavioral Health State Advisory Council, a Mental Health First Aid instructor, Trauma Informed Care trainer, Certified Peer Specialist- Supervisor and Medicated Assisted Recovery Specialist; recognized as a 2018 Mental Health Champion and an Executive Member of the Missouri Coalition of Recovery. Service Providers and the National Association of Recovery Residences.
Nonprofit Catalyst (Executive - Large Organization)
Robin Winner & Dennis Meier - Synergy Services
Robin has provided non-profit management for more than forty-five years and has been at the helm for Synergy Services since 2000.
Dennis is a 30+ year veteran of Synergy Services, serving first as a Family Counselor, then as Director of Therapeutic Services, and finally as Associate Executive of Clinical Services before being named Co-Executive Director in 2018.
Excellence in Impact
Great Jobs KC - Represented by Jimmy Swift
Great Jobs KC supports you on your journey to success. Whether it's a college degree or a job-training certification that leads to a financially secure future, we provide access to all. We support you through scholarships for college, tuition-free job training programs, access to good-paying employment opportunities, and the support needed to remove the barriers that might keep you from succeeding.
Persevering Advocate
Teresa & Tom Walsh - HNC Living Foundation
The Walshes recognized the real need in the Kansas City area, and across the country, to help head and neck cancer patients who may struggle with significant financial needs.
In December 2013, they formed HNC Living Foundation to provide financial assistance for head and neck cancer patients to improve their treatment, recovery and quality of life. In July 2014, HNC Living's 501(c)(3) application for nonprofit exempt status was approved. HNC Living has awarded over $2 million dollars and has helped more than 2,600 head and neck cancer patients.
2024 Honorees
Persevering Advocate
Mindy Corporon | SevenDays
Nonprofit Catalysts
Latricia Scott Adams | Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Donna Young | Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
Equity in Action
Transformations
Stronger Together
Kanbe’s Markets and After the Harvest
With KC Can Compost
Excellence in Impact
Charlotte Street
Kansas City G.I.F.T.
City Union Mission
2023 Honorees
Persevering Advocate - Art Fillmore
St. Michael's Veterans Center
The Kansas City Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Heart of America Stand Down, Veterans Treatment Courts and St. Michael's Veterans Center would not exist without Art Fillmore. He founded and provided essential volunteer leadership in the planning and implementation of each of these valuable Kansas City organizations that honor and serve military veterans.
In 2010, Art joined with like-minded Kansas City leaders to create St. Michael's Veterans Center, a permanent and sustainable solution to veteran homelessness in Kansas City. Today, St. Michael's Veterans Center is a leading nonprofit in the Kansas City area committed to providing affordable, permanent apartment homes and supportive services for veterans experiencing homelessness or living with a disability. For over thirty years, Art has been a veteran advocate and Kansas City leaders have sought his leadership and involvement in various veterans and community efforts.
Nonprofit Catalyst (Staff) - Curtis Wright
AdHoc Group Against Crime
Curtis Wright serves as a Community Resource Advocate with the AdHoc Group Against Crime. He is responsible for connecting individual and families who have been impacted by violence to needed resources.
The work that AdHoc has done in this community for over 40 years is to be applauded. Curtis Wright will show up at a crime scene where a loved one's life has been cut short by homicide. He gets to work right away, calling community partners to help with resources like food, grief counseling, job assistance, and in some cases helping with crime scene cleanup. This work is hard, traumatic, and exhausting. Even still, he finds the strength to make it to neighborhood and community meetings to problem solve and dream about how great our community can be with hard work.
Nonprofit Catalyst (Executive) - Don Goldman
Jewish Family Services (JFS KC)
Don Goldman’s near 16 years of service has turned Jewish Family Services (JFS) into a powerhouse leading the way in providing programs to assist people in need throughout Kansas City.
He's guided JFS through rapid changes in programming and client needs while also deftly maneuvering a pandemic that hit JFS older adults and lower income clients particularly hard. Don is unwavering in his vision to bring essential services and mental health support to anyone who needs them - regardless of race, age, culture, religion, or identity - and embodies the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam: repairing the world, one person, one family at a time.
Don has pioneered new approaches for serving 10,000 of our Kansas City neighbors each year. He is, simply put, one of the most respected catalysts for change in the community.
Equity In Action - Kansas City Community Bail Fund
Represented by Chloe Cooper
The Kansas City Community Bail Fund was created to help pay the bail of individuals already struggling financially. While detained pre-trial, people can lose their jobs, their homes, and in some cases, even custody of their children. The KC Community Bail Fund IS Equity In Action by affording individuals in jail the same opportunity as wealthy individuals: to go about their lives while they wait for a conviction to take place. KC Community Bail Fund is working hard to continue their success by adding additional programming to their roster, like Project Greenlight (which helps assist low-income KC residents pay for driving compliance expenses), partnering with Angel Tree Network to help sponsor Christmas gifts for parents in prison to send to their children, and raising awareness on social media about the criminal justice system.
Excellence in Impact (Small Division) - WeCode KC
Represented by Tammy Buckner
WeCode KC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create pathways to economic prosperity by providing programming knowledge skills, and building confidence in youth, and young adults, and individuals often excluded from tech careers. They are cultivating a diverse pipeline of future-ready tech professionals to connect skilled talents to leading businesses, entrepreneurship or college.
The entry point for WeCode is, to begin with, two flagship programs that teach coding to urban youth and young adults from underrepresented communities. While the coding training is a critical first step, embedded from the beginning in the WeCode approach is a commitment to mentorship and experiences that build foundational skills such as critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving and decision-making. These skills will prove essential to participants' success as they navigate life and future career paths.
Excellence in Impact (Medium Division) - Amethyst Place
Represented by Starla Brennan
Amethyst Place is the product of community leaders banding together in 1989 to help single mothers and their children overcome damaging generational cycles of substance use. Due to lack of safe housing after treatment, these women had no choice but to return to the same communities where their substance use began, threatening their recovery and the stability of their families. Founded in May 2000 by task force members, Amethyst Place has filled this gap for over 22 years and has been home to over 375 families, including 726 children.
Their long-term model achieves deep and lasting impact. In 2022, 98% of women maintained recovery, 86% of children in foster care placement were reunified, and 86% of women were employed, in school, or employed while in school (many as first-generation college students).
Excellence in Impact (Large Division) - Kauffman Scholars
Represented by Tanesha Ford
For the last twenty years, Kauffman Scholars has played a key role in supporting Kansas City students as they navigate the journey through postsecondary education and the transition to career. As a program, Kauffman Scholars gave its students access to internships, local and national college visits, and mentorship. Through natural attrition, nearly 1300 students persisted through high school graduation, receiving financial support to cover common expenses like tuition, housing, dining, and textbooks.
Kauffman Scholars will conclude this year with over 800 graduates who live, work, and contribute to the betterment of this city. The program has learned the importance of not only assisting students toward the finish line of degree completion, but also shifting to support program Alumni as they evolve into emerging leaders in Kansas City.
Stronger Together - GEHA and YMCA of Greater Kansas City with The Hunt Family Foundation / Kansas City Chiefs and Unified Government of Wyandotte County & Kansas City, KS Parks and Recreation
Represented by (left to right) Gene Willis (GEHA), Angel Ferrara (Unified Government of Wyandotte County & Kansas City, KS Parks and Recreation), Jessica Earnshaw (YMCA), and KC Wolf (Kansas City Chiefs)
In an investment with the YMCA of Greater Kansas City's "Learn to Swim" program with Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, GEHA provided funding for 200 students' summer swim lessons at Parkwood Pool, the only public swimming pool in KCK.
The 'Joe Delaney Learn to Swim Program, Presented by GEHA' now offers lessons to hundreds of students in historically marginalized communities at no cost through this collaboration. Additionally, the partnership addresses equity issues around access to free equipment, allowing for hesitant families to have one less barrier for participation. This program received the 2022 Kansas Recreation and Parks Association's "Outstanding Aquatic Branch Program Award"; the first time that a Kansas City, Kansas program has received such an honor.