Y+U: Annual Meeting Honors Top 2014 Donors, Volunteers & Advocates

More than 300 guests and community leaders attended the YMCA of Central Florida’s Annual Meeting, which recognized the leading partners, volunteers, donors and staff who helped advance the Y’s cause in 2014. The event was held at the Dr. P. Phillips Performing Arts Center on June 16. During the program, three Y volunteers received a special recognition.

• Leonard Williams Sr., CEO of Wayne Densch Inc. and Wayne Densch Charities, received the annual John W. Sterchi Award. The award is the YMCA of Central Florida’s highest honor and celebrates outstanding lifetime support. Recognizing the need for a strong Y in the heart of the Pine Hills community, Leonard Williams helped establish the Wayne Densch YMCA Family Center in the 1990s. Years later, Leonard and his wife Marjorie also donated a major gift to establish the J. Douglas Williams YMCA in Longwood as a lasting tribute to their late son.
• Paul McGarigal, a successful realtor and major supporter of the Dr. P. Phillips YMCA, received the YMCA’s 2014 Ronnie Walker Unsung Hero Award honoring those who have selflessly given their time and talent to the Y cause. In addition to coaching youth sports, chairing the Dr. P. Phillips Y board, furnishing its teen center and underwriting the cost of new soccer fields, McGarigal recently donated a $500,000 gift to the Y endowment fund as an investment in his Y’s future.
• Helena Ryan received the 2014 Barbara Roper Advocacy Award recognizing volunteer leaders who have devoted their lives to the Y cause. Over the years, Helena has been an impassioned Y advocate, fundraiser and volunteer leader. In addition to serving on the Metro Board for more than a decade, she also led the 2012-2013 Annual Support Campaign and served as 2014 Metro Board Chair. In 2014, she also chaired the 2014-2018 Long Range Strategic Planning Committees.

[gallery ids="37537,37538,37542,37543,37544,37545,37547"] In honoring the Y’s Lifetime Donors, Dr. Phillips Charities received special recognition. In 2014, Dr. Phillips Charities donated a $4.2 million gift to the Y – our single largest donation ever -- bringing its total lifetime support of the Y to $35,000,000. On hand to receive a special gift of thanks, an original sculpture entitled “The Tower of Children,” were Dr. Phillips Charities board members. The Y also thanked and honored its top major donors: The Roper Family, Winter Park Health Foundation, Darden, Wayne Densch Charities, Florida Hospital, Orange County Government, City of Orlando, Harris Rosen, WESH-TV, Tavistock, Walt Disney World, Osceola County, Lockheed Martin, The Bert Martin Foundation, Bank of America, Pepsi, Microsoft, Munroe Regional Medical Center and Frank DeLuca. Each Y family center honored their respective Volunteers of the Year: TEEN ACHIEVERS: Alex Rivera TEEN AMBASSADORS: Iffat Anwar AQUATIC CENTER: Ron Shirlaw AVALON PARK: Eric Gray BLANCHARD PARK: Gwen Rolape CAMP WEWA: Katie Morgan COCOA: Dan Vanlandingham CROSBY: Debbie Apple DOWNTOWN ORLANDO: Nate Koehler DR. P. PHILLIPS: Michael Hanley FRANK DELUCA: Kim Zielinski GOLDEN TRIANGLE: Jim Gillies, Derek Striker J. Douglas Williams: Donna Walsh LAKE NONA: Mark Benson, David Chong, Dawn Ballantyne OSCEOLA COUNTY: Maria Acosta OVIEDO: Parris Van Smith ROPER: Greg Ohe SAFE START: Skip Kendall SOUTH ORLANDO: Yolanda Webb SUNTREE: Pat Rainier TANGELO PARK: Tamara Leonard TITUSVILLE: Sally Rohenkohl WAYNE DENSCH: Shirley Bias WINTER PARK: Ryan Luttrell, Ian Reeves WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT LBV – Dana Smith Romero SHERBERTH – Kara Rogers The YMCA Elementary Program received the Pinnacle Award for outstanding achievements in revenue growth, volunteer support and financial stewardship. Carter Jones, YMCA District Vice President, and Nancy Bryant, Executive Director of the YMCA Elementary School Program received the 2014 Jim Ferber Award for outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to the Y cause and mission. At the conclusion of the meeting outgoing Metro Board Chair Charlie Egerton passed the gavel to Mike Manuel, the Y’s newly installed 2015-2016 Metro Board Chair. Ten new Metro board members were also elected, including: John Martinez, PNC Capital Markets; Jay Fratello, The FMC Wealth Management Group; Greg Nelson, United Southern Bank; Scott Sorenson, Sorenson Mayflower Moving & Storage; Dr. Maria Vazquez, Orange County Public Schools; Charlie Freeman, Orlando Magic; Charlie Roper, Roper Growers; and Marcia Hope-Goodwin, City of Orlando. The following YMCA Teen Ambassadors were also elected to serve on the board as emerging Y leaders: Kalese Justice, Florida Virtual School; and Robbie Knight, Olympia High School.