Nominations Sought for 2008 Wertheimer Fellow
for Excellence in Volunteerism Awards

May 5, 2008: Now through June 30, The Community Foundation of Frederick County is accepting nominations for the 2008 Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism Awards.

Wertheimer Fellows are caring, diligent volunteers who tirelessly improve the human condition by sharing heartily of their own special talents and energy in the Frederick County community. These special people give generously and unselfishly of their time and ability, making a profound difference in the lives of others by volunteering through sweat equity rather than financial capital.

Wertheimer Fellows for Excellence in Volunteerism are recognized at the Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community each November and are awarded $10,000 to establish or add to a permanent fund with the Community Foundation for the nonprofit or charitable endeavor of their choice.

“Each Wertheimer Fellow embodies the true spirit of neighbor helping neighbor that makes Frederick County such a wonderful place to live and work,” said Elizabeth Y. Day, President of the Community Foundation, who noted that the Award is a tribute to Mrs. Wertheimer’s long-time volunteer activities. “The Community Foundation eagerly anticipates receiving nominations each year, and we encourage everyone to nominate someone who is deserving of this special recognition.”

The generosity of the late Janis Miller Wertheimer inspires the award bearing her name. A lifelong Frederick County resident who graduated from Hood College in 1929, Mrs. Wertheimer served as Vice President of Nicodemus and Wertheimer, an insurance and real estate agency she owned and operated alongside her husband Philip. She was actively involved in the Frederick community until her death in 2001.

Mrs. Wertheimer bequeathed the greater portion of her estate to the Community Foundation for the creation of two permanent funds. The Wertheimer Fellows program, celebrating excellence in volunteerism, is made possible through the generosity of one of those permanent funds, The Janis Miller Wertheimer Endowment Fund.

Ms. Day said that past recipients of the Wertheimer Fellows for Volunteerism include the late William O. Lee, Jr., Viola M. Noffsinger, Gail A. Wood, Elizabeth J. Brady, Charlotte and Charles Glick, Richard Markey, Dennis Cannon, Sandy Cox, Lawrence A. “Tommy” Dorsey, Cecilia Bach, Marlene England, Jane and Charles Smith, George and Ruth Dredden, Edna and Grace Smith, Jeannine Milyard, and Robert F. Ward.

To download a nomination form, click here. Applications are also available at the Community Foundation’s office at 312 East Church Street, Frederick. Nominations must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 30, 2008. For additional information, contact the Community Foundation at 301.695.7660.