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Philanthropy Awards and Annual Report to the Community Luncheon

Our work wouldn’t be possible without the vision and generosity of our donors. Every year since 1991, we have recognized the contributions of philanthropists whose giving has inspired others while strengthening the Greater Rochester-Finger Lakes region.

On September 17, 2022, we honored our annual philanthropy award recipients during an evening gala instead of a daytime luncheon as we celebrated our 50th anniversary on the same night, as well as the retirement of former President & CEO Jennifer Leonard.

Learn more about our wonderful philanthropy award recipients below. (If you would like to be on our guest list for future celebrations, click here.)

Judy von Bucher
Joe U. Posner Founders Award

For Judy, the importance of giving back to your community is something she learned from family.

Her grandparents were active in the community in a variety of ways as were her parents, Nancy and the late Joe Briggs. Judy has continued that family tradition with her board service for Planned Parenthood — also a role that her grandmother, mother and brother played — Rochester Institute of Technology (her grandfather and father before her), and the Community Foundation, a board on which her dad previously served.

During Judy’s 12 years on the Foundation board, she led several committees and lent her strategic approach to every discussion and every initiative. Most recently, she served as chair and later co-chair of the 10-year effort to increase endowment and unrestricted gifts for future grantmaking.

Judy and Erik have been Foundation donors and fundholders since 1989 and in 2022 became champions for the Foundation’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, matching gifts up to a total of $50,000 to support current and future grantmaking to ensure that people of all races and ethnicities have opportunities to realize their fullest potential.


Jonathan Foster

The Community Foundation really has Jon to thank for the emphasis on endowment.

During the Community Foundation’s early years, board members were each asked to make a contribution annually to help cover operating expenses. Jon, then a trust officer at Genesee Valley Union Trust Company, suggested to fellow Foundation board members that the fundraising focus be shifted to building an endowment for the future.

Jon’s next “endowment moment” came in 1996. During a meeting to brainstorm ways to mark the Foundation’s 25th anniversary, Jon shared an idea to create a special permanent fund and asking folks to contribute in honor of the Foundation’s special anniversary. The 21st Century Fund was a great success. Now called the Catalysts for Change Fund, it contributes up to $125,000 a year for grants supporting current and changing needs deemed critical by the Foundation.

Endowment is also at the heart of a fund Jon set up to provide scholarships to graduating seniors from his own high school in a small community in Montgomery County so they have opportunities to broaden their futures.


Emerson Fullwood

In Emerson’s family, philanthropy has deep roots that began in the South more than 150 years ago. After slavery was abolished and his great grandfather was set free, he acquired land and donated a portion to build the Cedar Grove Baptist Church. Over time, several newer and bigger churches were built on family land as the congregations grew. This church often took up collections to help families pay college tuition for their children.

Emerson witnessed how his own parents gave back to their community and stepped in to support extended family members after a tragedy.

These events greatly influenced Emerson. During his 36-year career at Xerox, he held leadership positions in several national and worldwide divisions. But he always made time to serve on boards of various corporate, higher education, and nonprofit organizations — including the Community Foundation.

Supporting young people in their educational journeys is important to Emerson and his wife, Vernita. They have established scholarships at Monroe Community College and the University of Rochester, and three in his home state of North Carolina. Plus, Emerson and his lifelong friend Kenneth Johnson have raised more than $250,000 since 1995 through an annual golf tournament for scholarships to help seniors who graduate from North Carolina high schools.


Dr. Dawn Lipson

When talking about Dawn and philanthropy, you can’t do that without including her late husband, Jacques. With every request for funding that came their way, they would debate the pros and cons and then decide together how to respond.

Their philanthropic focus is primarily arts and health — cancer specifically — with most of their giving supporting Rochester because this is where Jacques grew up and had his medical career.

Dawn’s and Jacques’s generosity has resulted in many accolades from organizations they support and their names on many things. But it was the creation of the Lipson Cancer and Blood Disorder Institute at Rochester Regional Health where Dawn’s involvement in and passion for the project was most evident. She worked with architects on the design, chose the paint colors, carpeting, furnishings, and even art for the walls because she and Jacques wanted patients to immediately feel comfortable as soon as they walked through the door.

The Lipsons, who have served on many nonprofit boards in our community, volunteered for those roles to watch over investments they made or because their expertise and connections could be useful. As Dawn looks back on what her philanthropy has accomplished and what impact her future giving might have, she likes to share a quote from her friend, the late real estate developer Elliott Landsman: “It is always better to give with warm hands.”

Join us in congratulating the recipients of our Philanthropy Awards! Year in and year out, each recipient contributes to the promise of the greater Rochester region. The Community Foundation recognizes the many hours and consistent financial support these generous individuals and families share with countless nonprofit organizations dedicated to the improvement of our villages, towns, cities, and counties.

If not for this award, many of our honorees would remain behind the scenes, invisibly savoring the good works they have started, built on, or completed. We thank them for going public with their generosity in order to inspire others.

Here are the people and organizations that have been recognized with Philanthropy Awards by the Community Foundation since 1991. Those who have received the Joe U. Posner Founders Award, named for our founding chair, are marked with a plus symbol (+). Before 2001, this honor was simply the Founders Award.

2022: Jonathan Foster; Emerson Fullwood; Dr. Dawn Lipson; and Judy von Bucher+

2021: Hanif Abdul-Wahid; Mary Anne Palermo; and Tom Riley and Barbara Kelley+

2020: José Coronas+; Nancy Robbins*; and Mary-Frances Winters

2019: Laura “Jinny” Loomis and Norman Loomis, MD; Harold Samloff; and Clayton H. Osborne+

2018: Bud* and Peggy* Frame family; Randy and Marion Henderson; and Kathy Nixon+

2017: Mike Buckley+; Anne Morris Farnham and Sherman Farnham Jr.; Mimi Hwang; and Chuck Lundeen* and John Williams
Special Recognition: Irene Weinberg, one of the Foundations’ first donors, and Rochester Women’s Giving Circle for its 10th year and surpassing $1 million in grantmaking

2016: Mary F. Fisher* and Deborah Lattime+; Dr. Sidney and Barbara Sobel; and Dilip Vellodi

2015: Leo and Charlotte Landhuis; Pin-Seng and Shirley Tschang; and Nathan “Nick” Robfogel+
Special Recognition: Bob Silver* and 20 years of leading Community Sponsors annual campaign

2014: Tom Argust+; Dr. Matthew Augustine; Linda Wells Davey*; and Robert Sykes* and family
Special Recognition: Feinbloom Supporting Foundation 25-year partnership.

2013: Dr. Walter Cooper+; the family of Robert* and Jane* Stevens; and Eric Zeller 
Special Recognition: Muriel H. Marshall Fund 15-year partnership

2012: Ronald Fielding; Janet Buchanan Smith*; and Margaret Sánchez+
Special Recognition: Community Foundation Founders and Longest-Serving Volunteers for An Evening Out At Home, Diana Lauria and Esel Rasor*

2011: Edward P. “Ted” Curtis Jr.*; the family of Lou and Betty* Iacona; Ruth I. Morton; and Ruth H. Scott+

2010: Mark and Kathy Cleary; Mark* and Bobbie* (Barbara) Hargrave Jr.; TC Lewis+*; and Nannette Nocon 

2009: Bruce B. Bates+*; Suzanne Gouvernet; Adrienne* and Bertha Simpkins; and Justin L. Vigdor

2008: Joe Brown*; Dr. Marvin and Nancy* Yanes Hoffman; Robert D. “Bob” Hursh+*; and Frank* and Norma* Riedman 

2007: Vee* and George* Angle; Tom and Barbara Clark; Paul Rubery, Esq.+; and V.J. Stanley*

2006: Catherine Carlson*/Dorris and Chester Carlson Foundation; Ray and Erika Hutch; and Harris “Bud” Rusitzky+

2005: Harry* and Nancy Beilfuss; Robert W. “Bob” Kessler, Esq.+; and John M. “Dutch” Summers*

2004: George and Mary* Bauer; Marjorie Brenneman*; Jerome L. Huff*; and Richard A. Schwartz+

2003: Armored Motor Service of Rochester; Jacqueline P. Cady*; Alfred L. Davis*; C. Benn* and Sally Forsyth+; and Halcyon Hill Foundation 

2002: Joanna Card*; ESL Federal Credit Union; James and Janis Gleason and the Gleason Foundation; Elliott H. Press*; and Janet Welch+

2001: Ames-Amzalak Memorial Trust; Ione “Grandma” Collins*; B. Thomas Golisano; and Robert C. Silver+*
Special Recognition: Horses on Parade Project of High Falls Brewing Company

2000: Davenport-Hatch Foundation;Lance Drummond; Greece Rotary Club; Cricket Luellen*; and Linda Weinstein+

1999: Joseph* and Nancy Briggs+; Caldwell Manufacturing; Princeton Club of Rochester; and Robert Schmidhammer

1998: Arunas Chesonis; Ronald Fielding; James Littwitz+*; Richard Palermo*; and The Rochester Garden Club

1997: The Brush Family+;Hattie Harris*; Rosa Wims; Louis S. & Molly Wolk Foundation; and Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church 

1996: Frontier Corporation; Junior League of Rochester; Joe U. Posner+*; and Robert Strasenburgh* 

1995: Brighton Twelve Corners Middle School 8th Grade Community Service Program; Diane Doniger; Ruby Lockhart; Merrill Lynch and Co., Bruce Taub – Resident Vice President; and I.C. Shah+*

1994: Dr. Donald Eldredge*; Harold* and Joan Feinbloom+; Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation; and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church  

1993: Nicholas Ferreri; Philip* and Dolores* Neivert; Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.; and Wyman-Potter Foundation

1992: Borders Book Shop; Eastman Kodak Company; Elliot Landsman*; and the Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson Foundation

1991: Richard F. Brush*

*Deceased

The Ames-Amzalak Fund at the Community Foundation was established in 1984 to honor the memory of Henry Ames and his brothers, Semon and Daniel Amzalak. These three young immigrants from the British territory of Gibraltar came to Rochester and prospered as owners of Mally Co., a women’s dress shop at East Avenue and Main Street, and other businesses. They established a private foundation, which in turn created the fund at the Community Foundation. 

The Ames-Amzalak Award for Nonprofit Excellence, now given every other year, recognizes an innovative and effective nonprofit organization that is a true community partner.

2020: Teen Empowerment
2018: St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center
2016: YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County
2014: United Way of Greater Rochester
2012: Lifespan of Greater Rochester
2010: Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning
2009: Foodlink
2008: Arts & Cultural Council of Greater Rochester
2007: Ibero-American Action League
2006: Children’s Institute
2003: Causewave Community Partners (formerly the Advertising Council of Rochester, Inc.)
2000: Hope Hall
1998: Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service/Ontario-Yates Hospice