Laurie and Rich Riedman Recognized with 2025 Joe U. Posner Founders Award

The Joe U. Posner Founders Award is named after the Community Foundation’s founding chair, who believed in putting community first. Laurie and Rich Riedman‘s giving, volunteering, and enthusiasm for making connections in their Ontario County community exemplify our founder’s vision. 

In 1989, the Riedmans bought an old Victorian home across from Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park where they would live for 33 years and raise three daughters. From stroller walks through the Sonnenberg Gardens to a daughter’s wedding on the lawn, their family grew alongside beauty and community. In turn, they became strong supporters of Sonnenberg, serving as volunteers, board members, and good neighbors.  

During the Community Foundation’s 40th anniversary year, the Riedmans opened the doors of the Sonnenberg Mansion as hosts of An Evening Out at Home — helping build stronger connections between the Foundation and their Ontario County neighbors. 

“Service to others” is the Riedmans’ North Star. For Rich, it comes from his Eagle Scout days and Jesuit teachings at McQuaid High School. For Laurie, a childhood filled with both joy and trauma, a story shared in her published memoir “Diamonds in the Dirt,” inspires her to help others face their own challenges and live fully.  

Rich and Laurie met while both working at IBM, when friends set them up on a blind date. Not long after Laurie and Rich got married, they launched Riedman Communications, a public relations firm that began with a single fax machine in their living room (and continues to operate today).

Their professional expertise — Laurie in communications and Rich in IT and logistics — has made them invaluable volunteers, always asking, “How can we help advance the change that will have the greatest impact?”

Growing up in a small Connecticut town, the local library played a central role in Laurie’s childhood. To this day, libraries hold a special place in her heart, inspiring her to serve several terms on the board of trustees for Wood Library in Canandaigua, including as board chair, and recently, as the Vice President of the Friends of Wood Library. 

Rich holds leadership roles in the ManKind Project, facilitating and empowering men’s groups and retreats. Laurie has volunteered with the sister organization, Woman Within, serving on its international board. Together, Rich and Laurie offer relationship coaching and lead couples’ retreats. 

Leveraging advice from Community Foundation staff, Rich helped merge Camp DayDreams into the Boys & Girls Club of Rochester. He also serves on the board of Ontario Cares, helping to build a safety net for youth and adults who might otherwise fall through the cracks.  

Laurie volunteered with the Foundation’s Evening Out at Home Advisory Committee and Marketing & Communications Committee. Rich served on the Advancement Committee and then the Board of Directors for over a decade — a role his father filled before him. 

The Riedmans made their first grant through the Community Foundation more than 25 years ago.

The Riedmans Philanthropic Flavor

• Finding ways to offer their professional skills to local nonprofits
• Encouraging others to find their North Star
• Building community to have an even greater impact

The Riedmans’ giving is strategic, combining nonprofit insight with personal experience. They were inspired to invest in schools in Ghana after seeing research about the positive link between years of education for girls and the economic success of their families. After 18 years, in partnership with United Way Ghana, the Riedmans have funded more than 1,400 scholarships and many school programs, as well as providing children with backpacks, uniforms, and school supplies. 

As highly-engaged advisors for the Richard and Laurie Riedman Charitable Fund, the Riedmans provide steadfast support for charities aligned with their vision for impact. Each year, they invite their three daughters — Elizabeth, Beck, and Hannah — to recommend a grant, passing on the joy of having an impact in their community. 

Laurie and Rich’s legacy is one of deep connections, strengthened organizations, and countless lives touched. They offer this advice:

“Discover what you are passionate about. Find others who share that passion, and work together to make a difference.”

— Laurie and Rich Riedman, Philanthropy Award Honorees

Explore past Philanthropy Award honorees.