Residents across southwest Missouri have until noon Sept. 14 to nominate a community member for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks' Humanitarian of the Year award, which recognizes service that improves local communities.
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is accepting nominations for its 2026 Humanitarian of the Year award, according to a community announcement. Nominations must be submitted online through formstack.com.
The recipient will be recognized during the region's National Philanthropy Day celebration on Nov. 17. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is partnering with the Missouri Ozark Region Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals to honor individuals and organizations for their contributions to the area.
Humanitarian nominees are expected to demonstrate “the courage to take decisive action, the wisdom to face aggressive challenges, and the willingness to sacrifice to affect these causes that have a long-term impact on the betterment of the community,” according to the announcement.
Selection process and award details
An independent committee organized by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce will review nominations.
The committee is expected to include chamber representatives from Branson, Joplin and West Plains as well as clergy members from Springfield. Springfield Chamber Chair-elect Marshall Kinne will lead the committee.
The award is limited to living nominees. Posthumous nominations are not accepted.
Eligibility criteria and a list of previous recipients are available at cfozarks.org.
The winner will be recognized during a National Philanthropy Day luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel on Nov. 17 and will receive a cash award. Traditionally, recipients donate the award to a charity of their choice.
Long-running recognition program
The upcoming presentation will mark the 37th annual Humanitarian of the Year award.
The honor was established by the late Jewell Thompson Schweitzer, a major donor to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. According to the announcement, Schweitzer left several estate bequests to the foundation that expanded its unrestricted grantmaking endowment and created designated endowments for First & Calvary Presbyterian Church, Drury University, Cottey College and College of the Ozarks.
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks reported $632 million in assets under management as of June 30. The organization serves donors, nonprofit partners and 55 regional affiliates across central and southern Missouri.
Its mission is to improve quality of life through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership. More information is available at cfozarks.org.
This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Humanitarian award nominations open in southwest Missouri
