Each year, National Philanthropy Day is set aside to honor those who work tirelessly in the spirit of volunteerism to better their communities, raise much-needed money and support nonprofit organizations. The brainchild of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), National Philanthropy Day acknowledges the contributions of individuals and corporations around the world. The AFP was founded in 1960 as the National Society of Fund Raising Executives and has 27,434 members in 183 chapters. The members of the AFP work to advance philanthropy and volunteerism through education, research, advocacy and certification programs.

The Nashville chapter of the AFP, established in 1981 and with 124 members, serves all of Middle Tennessee and parts of Southern Kentucky. Since 1988, the Nashville Chapter has held an annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon to recognize those individuals and groups that exemplify the spirit of philanthropy and enrich the community with their enthusiasm, passion and hard work. The honorees are chosen through nominations by AFP members and selected by committees of their peers.

This year’s National Philanthropy Day Awards will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006, at the Hilton Nashville Downtown. The 2006 honorees featured below represent the best of the philanthropic spirit in our community.

Gordon & Shaun Inman Philanthropists of the Year When he was a child, Gordon Inman’s father, a Nashville barber for more than 40 years, told him, “You can’t out-give the Lord.” This philosophy is one that Inman, a native Nashvillian and chairman of Fifth Third Bank of Tennessee, has practiced with a passion in his adult life. “My wife, Shaun, and I were both raised in Nashville. Throughout the near-fifteen years of our marriage, we’ve tried to involve ourselves in activities that let us feel we’re giving back to the community and humanity.”

While Shaun insists that she’s the “behind the scenes” member of the team, Inman calls her his “great inspiration.” Inman says he and Shaun were led to fund the building of the first and only chapel in the country designed especially for the deaf, at Brentwood Baptist Church. They’ve also served as founders of the new Schermerhorn Symphony Hall that recently opened. “We thought that a first-rate symphony hall would be a great asset to the city,” Inman says. The Inmans also gave Belmont University $10.5 million toward the construction of a new College of Health Sciences and Nursing complex. He is serving his fifth term as a trustee for Belmont.

Inman’s résumé includes serving in the U.S. Army, a work record that boasts of entrepreneurial and business successes, and service on numerous charitable, civic and professional boards. He has received many awards for business leadership and his work toward charitable causes. “It’s a great honor to receive this award,” Inman says. “I get more joy out of giving back now than I did out of making it in my younger years. We’re thankful God has given us the provisions to do just that.”

James V. Hun Fundraising Volunteer of the Year In 1990, Jim Hunt traveled to Africa, a trip that proved to be a pivotal event in his life. He was struck by what he saw and wanted to get involved in wildlife preservation. He began volunteering at what was then a small animal park outside of Nashville and offered his services toward fundraising, education, and membership growth programs. In 1998, the zoo moved to Grassmere. Since then, Hunt has worked as chairman of the board and has spearheaded fundraising efforts. He stepped down as chairman in January of 2006 and was succeeded by Jennifer Frist.

“I’m an entrepreneur,” Hunt says. “I like to see things happen. It’s a passion.”

Hunt’s professional life has been one of passion, too. After college and active duty in the Navy, Hunt began working for MetLife and then founded Benefit Communications. Hunt has earned many awards in his professional life, including the “Million Dollar Round Table” in 2001. Now semi-retired, he enjoys time with his wife of 43 years, Sally, and his sons, Jim and Allan. The Hunts have three grandchildren.

“I was not expecting this honor,” Hunt says. “I took the zoo on as a cause. It’s not a charity. It’s a business—a public and private partnership with the city. It has been fun to create something wonderful for Nashville.”

Diamond Rio Fundraising Volunteers of the Year Touring, cutting hit records and receiving awards—all in a day for long-lasting country group, Diamond Rio. But that’s not all the boys in the band do with their limited time. In 2005, the members of Diamond Rio raised over $153,000 for the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters. They’ve partnered on an annual golf tournament, formed the Team Rio running group for the Country Music Marathon, and selected Big Brothers Big Sisters as their beneficiary in the Country Music Association’s “Cause for Celebration” effort.

Their work with Big Brothers Big Sisters dates back 16 years; they’ve served as the organization’s National Ambassadors since 1990. For the band’s annual golf tournament, the Arby’s Charity Tour hosted by Diamond Rio, Marty Roe, Jimmy Olander, Gene Johnson, Dan Truman, Dana Williams and Brian Prout invite their friends, family, business associates and celebrities to donate their time, talent and money. The 2005 event raised $125,000. Roe and Olander also each ran in the 2005 Country Music Half-Marathon for the children of Big Brothers Big Sisters, again encouraging friends and associates to join them for the race. Team Rio, a group of 35 runners and walkers, raised $25,000 in 2005, and in 2006, the 85-member Team Rio raised over $50,000 for the agency.

Not content to volunteer locally, band members speak from stages across the country about their involvement in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the importance of mentoring our youth.

LP Foundation Mary Cohn, President Corporate Philanthropy Program of the Year Mary Cohn, manager of corporate affairs for LP Corp., and president of the LP Foundation—LP Corp.’s charitable arm—enjoys the team-oriented environment of her workplace. “We moved our headquarters to Nashville a little over two years ago,” she recalls, “and rather than sit at the desk and wait for calls, we went out into the community to see what was going on. Now people are coming to us, and it’s wonderful.”

LP Foundation focuses on four areas for its charitable work: shelter programs such as Habitat for Humanity; K-12 public education programs; social services; and environmental programs. “Anyone can bring requests before the board,” Cohn says. The foundation has a five-person board of trustees that reviews all requests. All requests must have a majority of votes.

“We work as a team,” Cohn says, stressing that LP Foundation’s philanthropic efforts involve employee commitment in addition to money. “It’s a chance to connect the company to the community and vice-versa—and an opportunity to build our employee culture.” “We appreciate the Habitat and PENCIL Box people nominating us, but the nonprofit organizations in Nashville have made it easy for us to get involved,” Cohn says. “Nashville is a generous town.”

Alexis Holmes Youth Volunteer of the Year “It’s wonderful to receive this award,” says Alexis Holmes, 15-year-old Nashvillian and home-schooler. “It’s pretty cool.” Though she sounds like most teenagers, Alexis is no ordinary freshman. Her volunteer activity of choice is baking pies—Alexis’ Famous Pies, to be precise—and what started as a modest effort to give back to the Oasis Center for its support of her and her family during a crisis has grown into a small business with a celebrity client list that includes CeCe Winans, Winonna Judd, Faith Hill and some Titans football players. Alexis is the youngest member of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

In October 2005, Alexis began attending a cooking school taught by her godfather, Chef Tim Winn, at a continuing education class at McGavock High School. She received her Culinary Arts Certificate. “I love to cook,” she says. “After finishing the class, I had a feeling that I could use my skills to give back to the community. I began selling pies to Mercy Ministries and others, and then cooked the desserts for CeCe Winans’ Divas Nashvegas fundraiser in 2005.”

Nominated for this award by Hal Cato, the executive director of the Oasis Center, Alexis is humble about the honor, but also excited. “I’m really looking forward to the luncheon!” The daughter of proud parents Genma and Roger Holmes, Alexis plans to attend a culinary arts institute after high school.