At its annual National Philanthropy Day celebration, held Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Mid-America Chapter honored Dr. Mary Davidson with its Philanthropist of the Year Award.
Davidson was selected for her demonstration of exceptional generosity and outstanding civic and charitable responsibility. The presenter of Davidson’s award was Dr. Joe Sopchick, president of Johnson County Community College.
Through the years, Davidson has made significant gifts to metro area causes through the Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Charitable Trust. Beneficiaries include the Nerman Museum at Johnson County Community College, the Children’s Campus of Kansas City, UMKC School of Law, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, the Overland Park Arboretum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the National World War I Museum and many others.
Davidson has also been a leader serving on various boards and commissions including the National World War I Museum, Overland Park Planning Commission, the Children’s Campus of Kansas City, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Freedoms Frontier National Heritage Area, Johnson County Community College Foundation and the Board of Overseers for the United States Coast Guard Academy.
In her professional career she has been a lifelong educator. She began teaching science on the elementary level and then advanced to the college and university level. She served as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Kansas Edwards Campus, and later was Vice President and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kan. In 2002 she was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education as the secretary’s regional representative in the Midwest region covering the states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. She has also served as the assistant director of the William T. Kemper Foundation.
For more than 20 years, the AFP Mid-America Chapter has honored those involved in the work of philanthropy: fundraising professionals, fundraising volunteers and philanthropists.
Other 2014 honorees include:
Anita B. Gorman, Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser
The Big Slick Committee, Avant-Garde Award for Innovation in Fundraising
FarmHouse Foundation, Excellence in Fundraising
Josh Gorlaski, Young Philanthropist of the Year (18-23 age group)
Ryder Clay, Young Philanthropist of the Year (5-17 age group)
Murray Blackwelder, Fundraising Professional of the Year
Black & Veatch, Business Philanthropist of the Year
AFP is an association of 30,000 professionals worldwide advancing philanthropy by enabling people and organizations to practice ethical and effective fundraising. The AFP Mid-America Chapter in Kansas City is one of 200 chapters.
National Philanthropy Day began in 1986 and is recognized by numerous state, provincial, and local governments across North America. Its purpose is to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy — and those people active in the philanthropic community — have made to our lives, our communities, and our world.