As the first woman in Alabama and one of the first 50 in the U.S. to donate $1 million to the national Women Moving Millions Campaign, Jane Stephens Comer recognized the importance of women supporting the needs of other women. Her gift blazed a trail for women across the country as part of more than $175 million raised for women’s funds worldwide (a portion of her gift benefited The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham). 

She is also a pacesetter for philanthropists here at home, where she will receive the William M. & Virginia B. Spencer Outstanding Philanthropist award at the National Philanthropy Day luncheon on Nov. 12.  Jane Comer and six other honorees – Mike Warren, Monty Hogewood, Tom Armstrong, Hannah Franklin, Coca Cola Bottling Company United and Habitat for Humanity – will join 138 individuals, corporations and charitable organizations honored over the past 28 years for their contributions of time, talent and treasure to our community.

John M. Harbert III, William B. Reed, Sylvia Joynor and Pizitz department store were the first honorees back in 1982, when the Alabama Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals began its annual November celebration of National Philanthropy Day by highlighting the important role of philanthropy and philanthropists.  Every year since then, the selection committee has had a challenging job of selecting the top givers, leaders, fundraisers and organizations from the pool of nominations.

Jane Comer's philanthropy provides just one example of the generous spirit that characterizes every winner. Nominated by three organizations – the Women’s Fund, the Community Foundation and UAB – she has made her mark in ways that will change our community forever:
 - Founding  board member and on-going supporter of The Women’s Fund
 - Member of the Founder’s Circle of donors who started The Women’s Fund endowment
 - Gift to the launch the “Enough Abuse!” initiative through C.H.I.P.S. at Children’s Hospital.
 - First board chair for the Alys Robinson Stephens Performing Arts Center
 - Gift of $5 million to UAB, to be used in partnership with the Alys Stephens Center for a cultural arts education program for Birmingham-area children in pre-school through high school.
- Sponsor of selected ASC performances and instrumental in initiating the ASC Young Patrons organization and Young Patrons Series. Center
 - Assisted in creation of the “Arts in Action” program to provide optimum benefits to students and educators, including arts mentoring, summer camps and teacher workshops.
 - Committed to promoting the performing arts and expanding arts education programs for the whole community, including Alabama Ballet, Birmingham Museum of Art, the Alabama Ballet and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.  

Other top honorees have provided their own special support for organizations across our community. (See below for full description). In addition to Jane Comer, this year’s winners include:
 - Mike Warren, Outstanding Civic Leader, nominated by Children’s Hospital of Alabama 
 - Coca Cola Bottling Company United, Outstanding Corporate Citizen, nominated by United Way of Central Alabama
 - Monty Hogewood, William S. Roth Outstanding Fundraising Executive, nominated by Samford University
 - Tom Armstrong, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham Outstanding Professional Advisor, nominated by Sirote & Permutt
 - Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham, Outstanding Charitable Organization, nominated by Thompson Tractor Co.
 - Hannah Franklin, Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy, nominated by Childcare Resources.

For more about this year’s event, emceed by John Croyle, or how you can nominate an honoree in future years, contact the AFP office by e-mail or phone 250-9020 or check the AFP website. The November 12 event starts at noon at the Sheraton Downtown in Birmingham.

“Our honorees are investing their time and money in the lives of individuals who need their help and they are doing so despite challenges in the economy,” said Susann Montgomery-Clark, President, AFP Alabama. “We salute their efforts to make a difference and we applaud their selfless giving.”

“Despite challenges that we may have faced in the past year, philanthropy in Birmingham remains strong and ongoing,” said Jacqueline Gardner, chair of National Philanthropy Day 2009. “We are truly blessed to have a community that supports all of our wonderful organizations that help provide the much needed services and programs to the citizens of our community.”

More about this year's top National Philanthropy Day winners:
Outstanding Civic Leader – William Michael Warren Jr.  As CEO of Energen Corporation, and now as president and CEO of Children’s Health System, Mike Warren has played a key role in philanthropy.  His servant leadership is both thoughtful and bold, leading United Way of Central Alabama as chair of the board and stepping in for the second time to run a successful campaign. Deferring his retirement to head the largest healthcare expansion project in the history of the state, Warren brought a new Children’s Hospital to life with a $100 million capital campaign.

Outstanding Corporate Citizen – Coca Cola Bottling Company United. The Coca-Cola brand is synonymous with far-reaching community support, from pre-school T-ball teams to senior activities.  Its leaders, particularly CEO Claude Nielsen and Director of Community Affairs Walker Jones, carry on a family legacy of giving that goes back to the founder of Coca-Cola Bottling United, Crawford T. Johnson, who served as the first chair of the board for United Way of Central Alabama in 1923 and 1924. Employees at all levels also show true generosity of spirit, donating the whole budget for their staff holiday party to United Way, over and above outstanding participation in the regular campaign.

Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy – Hannah Franklin.  With a 3.8 grade point average and 588 hours of community service over four years at Homewood High School, Hannah Franklin is a young woman with energy, focus and an impressive record as a hard worker and a leader who motivates others by her own example. As a Key Club member and on her own, she organized and participated in a variety of service projects and activities and encouraged her fellow students to join her in volunteering for Success By 6, the Lovelady Center and Cahaba Valley Health Care.

Outstanding Charitable Organization – Habitat for Humanity of Greater Birmingham.  For homeowners and volunteer workers alike, Habitat for Humanity creates a positive experience of giving that makes a difference in the lives of more than 1,100 men, women and children in Jefferson, Shelby and Walker counties each year. With more than 35 to 40 homes completed annually, plus a Home Repair Program, Habitat for Humanity helps to make quality housing affordable. 

Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham Outstanding Professional Advisor – Thomas D. Armstrong.  As a financial advisor, Tom Armstrong helps clients organize their financial investments and plan for their future needs, including support of the charitable causes they care about. As a volunteer on boards throughout our community, he uses the same skills to help nonprofit organizations improve their financial situation and to establish planned giving programs that will support their ability to serve the community forever.

William S. Roth Outstanding Fundraising Executive – John Montgomery “Monty” Hogewood. Monty Hogewood plays a key role in constituent relations at Samford University, creating and sustaining a council for alumni and parents to support Samford through volunteer efforts and inspiring more than $170 million in gifts and pledges. He leads by example with his active memberships in professional fund-raising organizations at the local, state and national level, serving as past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Alabama Chapter.

More about AFP: The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) represents 27,000 members in 186 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs. The Alabama Chapter of AFP has more than 130 members from 85 nonprofits, consulting firms and corporations in Central Alabama.