East Bay Leadership Council's Third Annual Contra Costa/Tri-Valley Philanthropy Awards program honorees named

CONCORD, CA., September 17, 2013—A dozen East Bay individuals, companies and nonprofit organizations will be honored at the East Bay Leadership Council’s Third Annual Contra Costa/Tri-Valley Philanthropy Awards breakfast on Thursday, November 7, at the Hilton Concord. The annual awards program celebrates outstanding contributions of time, leadership and financial support by businesses, individuals, families and nonprofit organizations to benefit residents throughout the East Bay.

The program’s nine categories and award recipients are:

· Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist (500 employees and above): Phillips 66 Rodeo Refinery, for its financial support and guidance and the ongoing involvement of its employees in the John Swett High School Careers Academy.

· Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist (100 to 500 employees): Heffernan Insurance Brokers,  (100 to 500 employees), for its grants and employee donations to numerous nonprofits providing direct support and services to East Bay communities.

· Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist (1 to 99 employees) (a tie): Brookfield Homes Northern California, for taking the lead role in support of HomeAid Northern California in providing expertise and labor, and orchestrating donations, for the remodel of the Bay Area Crisis Nursery Dahlstrom House facilities; and Douglah Designs, a kitchen/bath design-build remodeling company in Lafayette, for raising awareness of community needs and sharing its profits though support of SHELTER, Inc., and other nonprofits.

· Outstanding Philanthropist: Wendy and Earl Dunivan of Pleasant Hill, owners of a commercial properties company in Martinez, for their generosity and volunteer work with Foster A Dream, which provides supportive services for foster youth in five Bay Area counties.

· Outstanding Foundation or Community Grant Maker (a tie): Target Foundation, the leading corporate partner for the Diablo Regional Arts Association’s Arts Access School Time Program, and John Muir/Mount Diablo Community Health Fund, for its grants program benefiting numerous Contra Costa health-related initiatives and safety-net providers.

· Outstanding Collaborative Project: Mount Diablo Beacon Restoration Project, a public-private partnership, involving Save Mount Diablo and many other business and community organizations, which restored the beacon at the summit of Mount Diablo in tribute to Pearl Harbor Survivors.

· Volunteer of the Year: Deborah Jansen of Lafayette, director of the Academic Excellence program at the Community Youth Center in Concord, who volunteers thousands of hours annually to ensure excellent academic tutoring and support to students at the center.

· Next Generation Philanthropist (a new category this year): Katie Easterly and Paige Blake of Walnut Creek, high school students and founders of What’s Mine Is Yours, a nonprofit that works with Youth Homes and other nonprofits to provide clothing for middle school and high school girls.

· Lifetime Achievement: Project Hearth, a group of Contra Costa women whose fundraising efforts since 1990 have provided financial assistance and counseling to low-income families  through the group’s partnership with SHELTER, Inc.

Presenting the keynote at the breakfast celebration will be Sid Espinosa, Microsoft's champion for philanthropy and citizenship in Silicon Valley. He is the former director of global philanthropy for HP, a Palo Alto City Council member and former mayor of Palo Alto. Espinosa has served on numerous boards of directors for business, nonprofit and educational organizations around the world, including the board of trustees at his undergraduate alma mater, Wesleyan University. He worked at the Democratic National Committee during the 1994 congressional campaigns, joined the Clinton Administration to work at the White House and as an advisor to U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno at the U.S. Department of Justice.

A prestigious panel representing all sectors of the community and government was formed to make the award selections from some 30 deserving nominations. Judges included Elaine Taylor, president, The Taylor Family Foundation; Cliff Glickman, chief of staff, Contra Costa County Supervisor Karen Mitchoff; Cheryll LeMay, counseling department chair, Diablo Valley College and Judith Parker, consultant and chair, Social Responsibility Task Force, East Bay Leadership Council.

Co-presenting sponsors are Wells Fargo and the East Bay Community Foundation. Other sponsorships are still available.

Registration will open in October at www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com. For other questions, please contact Terry Shoaff or Sherri Boyle at 925.246.1880.

About the East Bay Leadership Council (formerly the Contra Costa Council): The Council, also referred to as the EBLC, is a private sector, public policy organization with a membership that includes business, nonprofit organizations, government, education and labor. The mission of the Council is to provide advocacy on public policy issues affecting the economic vitality and quality of life in the Greater East Bay region. For more information, see www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com and follow us on twitter and Facebook.