Annual Philanthropy Awards Breakfast Will Salute Livermore Residents' Outstanding Contributions to the Community

An 11-year-old, a 14-year-old’s surviving parents and a locally distinguished philanthropist are among nine honorees in the East Bay Leadership Council’s Philanthropy Awards program this year, an endeavor that is growing rapidly and recognizes outstanding contributions by East Bay residents to their communities.

The Council’s Fourth Annual Philanthropy Awards Breakfast will be held on Thursday, November 6, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum, 3700 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Danville. Breakfast keynote speaker will be Adonal Foyle, Bay Area philanthropist and Golden State Warriors community ambassador. Co-presenting sponsors are Wells Fargo and the East Bay Community Foundation.

Lafayette student Kristi Conner was only 7 years old (she’s just turned 11) when she encountered homeless people on the streets of San Francisco. When she learned that there were people without homes living in her own community in Contra Costa County, she picked and sold apples to share her profits. She then created Kristi’s Run for SHELTER, later renamed Kids’ Run for SHELTER, which in three years has raised $20,000 for SHELTER, Inc., an East Bay nonprofit that provides resources and homes for families in need. Kristi Conner is being honored with the Next Generation Philanthropist award.

Matt and Dana Croghan of Livermore started Team KC for their daughter, Korrine Croghan, a vivacious 14-year-old who was diagnosed with a rare cancer and died in 2008. In addition to visiting the bedside of sick children and supporting their families, Team KC organizes an annual swim event and a picnic and, through the East Bay Family House Foundation, provides a place of respite for families whose children are undergoing cancer treatment at Kaiser Oakland. Matt and Dana Croghan are being honored with the Outstanding Philanthropist award.

Elaine Taylor (pictured above), who co-founded The Taylor Family Foundation in 1990 with her late husband Barry, had no idea how far their idea would go. A first Day in the Park fundraiser, held in the back yard of their home, raised $56,000 for the March of Dimes, and a second fundraiser raised $122,000 for Children’s Hospital, Oakland. Since then, the foundation has averaged about $1.2 million at its annual fundraiser to support its mission: to preserve the wellness and enhance the quality of life of children in Northern California who are living with life-threatening and chronic illnesses and developmental disabilities, and of youth at risk. Camp Arroyo, a 138-acre permanent camp in Livermore, offers unique therapeutic experiences and support to these children and youth at no charge. Elaine Taylor is being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Here is the full list of Philanthropy Awards categories and award recipients.
• Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist (500 employees and above): John Muir Health, honored for contributing millions of dollars annually to support quality patient care and community health through partnership initiatives with community-based organizations. Health initiatives include (but are not limited to) Contra Costa Clubhouses, Operation Access, Healthy & Active Before 5 and Monument Impact.
• Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist (100 to 500 employees): Nutiva, Richmond, honored for donating 1 percent of sales of its organic superfoods to sustainable agriculture, and a community outreach program for employees that has included a beach cleanup with the Watershed Project, planting urban gardens with Urban Tilth, delivering nutritious food for the Bay Area Rescue Mission and hosting a free basketball camp for Richmond youth.
• Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist (1 to 99 employees): Broadway Plaza Shopping Center, Walnut Creek, honored for financial and volunteer staff support to nonprofit and community groups, including Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation, the Assistance League of Diablo Valley, Wardrobe for Opportunity, One Warm Coat, Diablo Regional Arts Association, Project Open Hand, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and the city of Walnut Creek.
• Outstanding Philanthropist: Matt and Dana Croghan, Team KC, Livermore, whose daughter Korrine Croghan died from a rare form of cancer at the age of 14, honored for their inspiring humane and financial support of pediatric cancer patients and their families at Kaiser Oakland.
• Outstanding Foundation or Community Grant Maker: Y&H Soda Foundation, Moraga, honored for its annual commitment of over $5 million in grant funds to small and large nonprofits in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The foundation’s technical support and leadership challenge and expand the programming of these organizations, which include Opportunity Junction, Volunteer Center of the East Bay, Rubicon Programs, SHELTER, Inc., and others.
• Outstanding Collaborative Project: Kaiser Permanente – The Monument HEAL Zone Collaborative, honored for its work with residents in Concord’s Monument community to reduce chronic health conditions by increasing access to healthy food and physical activity. The network of nonprofit organizations and government agencies, which is supported by Kaiser Permanente, includes Monument Impact, Healthy and Active Before 5, Contra Costa Childcare Council, Contra Costa Health Services and Wellness City Challenge.
• Volunteer of the Year: Susan Alice Grice of San Ramon, honored for dedicating long hours, after her regular day job, to serve as director of the Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall Bedtime Reading Program. Grice reads stories, news and books to the young residents, in addition to recruiting, training and coordinating other reader volunteers.
• Next Generation Philanthropist: Kristi Conner, an 11-year-old Lafayette student, honored for her efforts to help the homeless in her community. A three-mile running event she created, Kids’ Run for SHELTER, has raised $20,000 for SHELTER, Inc., a nonprofit that provides resources and homes to East Bay families in need.
• Lifetime Achievement: Elaine Taylor, president and board chair of The Taylor Family Foundation, honored for her dedication and support to children living with life-threatening, chronic diseases and developmental disabilities, and youth at risk.

A panel, representing all sectors of the community and government, met and selected the individuals and organizations to be honored. Panelists included Supervisor Candace Andersen, Contra Costa County, District II; Barney Fonzi, group publisher, Diablo Publications; Charlie Mead, executive director, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); Kathleen Odne, executive director, Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation; and Mark Hughes, vice president, business development, DC Solar Solutions.

Registration is at eblcphilanthropy.eventbrite.com. For questions, please contact Terry Shoaff or Sherri Boyle at 925.246.1880.

About Keynoter Adonal Foyle: Bay Area philanthropist Adonal Foyle played a total of 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association, including 10 seasons with the Golden State Warriors from 1997 to 2007. In September 2014, he was named a community ambassador to support the Warriors-related initiatives to give back to the Bay Area community, and received the Warriors Community Service Award for the player who best exemplified the spirit of community service during the 2001-02 season. An activist with a deep commitment to improving society, he founded two nonprofits, Democracy Matters and the Kerosene Lamp Foundation, whose mission is to empower youth to grow into healthy and well-educated adults. He is a graduate of Colgate University and has a master’s degree from John F. Kennedy University.

About the East Bay Leadership Council: The Council, or 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 East Bay region. For more information, see www.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com and follow us on twitter and Facebook.