Uncommon Evening
Sometimes we get so busy in life that we forget or don't leave
time to celebrate the good work that people do for others. The
Uncommon Evening was a time of celebration for our many
talented scholarship recipients and for our extraordinary business
ethics fi nalists. WilsonMiller, Inc. was recognized as an exceptional
organization for their outstanding business ethics. It was also
a night to show gratitude to the many individuals and business
organizations that have provided their time and fi nancial support
so that we may perpetuate the mission of Uncommon Friends.
Thank you to our presenting sponsors, Oswald Trippe and
Company Inc. and St. Paul Travelers Insurance Company for
your help to further the mission - to instill ethics, moral values
and a sense of purpose in tomorrow's leaders. And thank you
to the other business sponsors, patrons, the board and the event
committee for helping to make the Uncommon Evening a night to
remember.
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From the both of us… Terri Kinsey & Nancy Humphrey Co-Chairs |
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(left to right) Geoff Roepstorff, Edison National Bank; Robbie Roepstorff, Board Member of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Sheriff Mike Scott, Board Member of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Krista Scott. |
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Annette Jacobs, Chief Executive Offi cer of SafeHarbor in Seattle, Washington; Keynote Speaker |
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(left to right) Anne Campbell, Winner of one $5,000 diamond; Mary Benzrihem, Congress Jewelers; Joanne Asztalos, Marketing Manager, Congress Jewelers |
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Diana Lurie & AJ Lurie, Beasley Broadcasting; Justin Merrit, ADT; Katy McBride, Hilton Grand Vacations Tortuga Beach Club Resort |
Uncommon Friends Foundation
2007 Scholarship Recipients
THE EDISON COLLEGE SINGLE PARENT PROGRAM helps
single parents gain skills to enter the workforce. These scholarships
provide assistance to those who have overcome signifi cant obstacles and
continue to strive to meet their educational goals. Shara Bilyeu • Omega
Brown • Tara Morales
THE UNCOMMON FRIENDS SPECIAL RECOGNITION
SCHOLARSHIPS provide further fi nancial assistance to help recipients
reach their educational goals. Selection is based on fi nancial need, the
potential to succeed, and the demonstration of the personal traits of the
Uncommon Friends. Donetta Beck • Tiffany Carter • Cherie Neat •
Sarah Neat • Cindy Pohner • Christina Prawdzik • Ashlie-Diane
Shields
THE HIGH TECH SCHOLARSHIPS assist with tuition, books,
and supplies for one term at a High Tech Center. Selection is based on
fi nancial need, the potential to succeed, and the demonstration of the
personal traits of the Uncommon Friends. Marie Balan • Alycia
Heidemann • Thanh Nguyen • Olga Rodriguez
UNCOMMON FRIENDS FOUNDATION AND THE FLORIDA
PREPAID COLLEGE FOUNDATION cooperate to provide two
years of college tuition and local fees to selected ninth grade students
who contract to succeed in high school, remain drug and crime free, and
fulfi ll scholarship conditions during their remaining years in high school.
Chazmen McCarter ,Fort Myers HS • Nestor Nieto, Lehigh Senior
HS • Steven Tarantini, Southwest Florida Christian Academy
UNCOMMON FRIENDS FOUNDATION AND THE BOY
SCOUTS OF AMERICA share values and ideals. The rank of Eagle
Scout is earned after meeting rigorous requirements that include the
completion of a special service project. Eagle Scout Scholarships help pay
for books in the fi rst semester of college. Jonathan Janasik, Troop 2001,
Naples • Julio Johnson, Troop 2, Naples • Nathan Shinn, Troop 10,
Bradenton
FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY - Gulf Region Educational
Advantages for Teachers (GREAT) is an organization of the best future
teachers. GREAT Scholarships help pay for an aspiring teacher’s books.
Jill Wolfe
THE ASPIRING TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP is presented to a
student enrolled in a College of Education who has the potential to be an
outstanding teacher. Saima Sabir, Barry University
The Edison College James Newton Scholarship - Christina Theogene
The Edison College Ellie Newton Scholarship - Ana Abella
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2007 Scholarship Recipients Group Photo: Front – left to right: Julio Johnson, Nathan Shinn, Jonathan Janasik, Back – left to right: Sarah Neat, Chazmen McCarter, Jill Wolfe, Shara Bilyeu, Donetta Beck, Nestor Nieto, Tara Morales, Omega Brown, Christina Prawdzik, Alycia Heidemann, Tiffany Carter, Ashlie Shields, Olga Rodriguez, Marie Balan, and Cherie Neat Missing: Ana Abella, Than Nguyen, Steven Tarantini, Saima Sabir, Cindy Pohner, and Christine Theogene |
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Some scholarship recipients and their guests were treated to a limo ride to and from the Uncommon Evening compliments of Chris Whitaker of BLU SUSHI. Left to Right: Maribel Madrid, Recipient Olga Rodriguez, Perry Jackson, Recipient Tiffany Carter, Recipient Chazam McCarter, Darin Hall, and Fort Myers HS & Champion Teacher Lynne McDill |
UFF Curriculum Presented to International Audience
| The State University of New York at Cortland in Upstate New York was the site for the 13th Annual Character Education Institute: Smart & Good Schools: Bringing Out the Best in Students”. Over two hundred educators from around the world learned about research and successful classroom strategies for teaching performance character |
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| and moral character. Coming from as far away as Singapore, Taiwan, Mexico, Spain, Washington State, California, Georgia, and Texas, these educators spent four days exchanging ideas and learning from Dr. Thomas Lickona, Director of the Center for the 4th & 5th Rs and Dr. Matthew Davidson, Director of the Institute for Excellence & Ethics as well as other leaders in character education. |
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Dr. Pat Archambault and Lynne McDill with internationally recognized character education researcher Dr. Tom Lickona. |
| Attending from Fort Myers were Lynne McDill, Fort Myers High School Teacher and a trainer for Uncommon Friends Foundation, and Dr. Pat Archambault, Uncommon Friends Foundation Character Education Coordinator. Ms. McDill and Dr. Archambault presented an overview of “Lessons Learned from Uncommon Friends”, the Foundation’s character education grades 3-8 and high school/adult curricula. They also shared information about Uncommon Friends Foundation and gave each participant a copy of the award winning documentary “Uncommon Friends of the 20th Century”. One administrator from the Republic of Singapore noted how eager he is to return to his school with these teaching strategies that combine character education with lessons about real American heroes! |
2007 Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award winner is WilsonMiller, Inc.
Presenting sponsor Gary Trippe of Oswald Trippe & Company said it all in presenting this year’s Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award at the Uncommon Evening on June 7th to Naples headquartered multidisciplinary planning, design, engineering and surveying fi rm WilsonMiller, Inc. “Uncommon Friends Foundation is a prestigious character education foundation and it is only natural that they should be the fi rst to recognize a business in Southwest Florida for its ethics. Tom Hoolihan, their President, and I are delighted to give this award tonight. After months of deliberation by an independent panel of judges a diffi cult but much deserved decision was made..
Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award recognizes an organization that exemplifi es standards of high ethical behavior in how they conduct their daily operations and during times of crises. This organization demonstrates a commitment to business ethics at all levels of the organization from line employees to middle andupper management. This organization demonstrates a commitmentto business ethics in their dealings with their customers, vendors, shareholders, regulators, lenders and the community. This organizationdemonstrates a commitment to business ethics in their marketing, communications and sales practices; and fi nally, this organization has a reputation within their industry and their communities for a commitment to business ethics.”
In accepting the award for his company, CEO Al Reynolds stated “We begin our values statement with these words: Honesty and integrity come fi rst. We are honored and humbled to be selected from among such an outstanding group of companies. I cannot think of a more meaningful award for the employees and clients of our firm, as they all
contributed to this recognition.”
Congratulations to Al Reynolds, CEO and his entire team in all eleven WilsonMiller, Inc. offi ces on the west coast of Florida.
Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award Finalists:
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(L to R) Tom Hoolihan, President of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Martin Haas, President of Entech Computer Services; Arlene Roth, Executive Director of Uncommon Friends Foundation |
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(L to R) Tom Hoolihan, President of Uncommon Friends Foundation and Robert Simpson, CEO of LeeSar Regional Service Center |
2007 Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award Winner Presentation:
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Tom Hoolihan, President of Uncommon FriendsFoundation; Al Reynolds, Chairman & CEO of WilsonMiller, Inc.; Gary Trippe, CEO of Oswald Trippe and Company, Inc. |
Uncommon Friends Foundation 2007 Annual Meeting
The Uncommon Friends Foundation hosted their Annual Meeting at Edison College on April 23, 2007. The event was attended by members of the foundation and invited guests. The keynote speaker for the luncheon was Shelley Broader, President/CEO of Sweetbay
Supermarkets. Tom Hoolihan, President of the Uncommon Friends Foundation, also gave the state of the foundation..
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(left to right) Nancy Humphrey, Board Member Uncommon Friends Foundation; Evie Rosen, NIE Coordinator for the News- Press; Darlene Grossman, Vice-President, Development for Hope Hospice; Sandy Stilwell, Board Member Uncommon Friends Foundation |
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(left to right) Arlene Roth, Executive Director, Uncommon Friends Foundation; Shelley Broader, President/CEO, Sweetbay Supermarkets; Tom Hoolihan, President of Uncommon Friends Foundation |
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(left to right) Dr. David Robinson, Uncommon Friends Foundation Board Member; Shelley Broader, President/CEO of Sweetbay Supermarkets; Madeleine Taeni, Philanthropist; Commissioner Frank Mann, Jr.; Mayor Jim Humphrey |
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(left to right) Shelley Broader, President/CEO of Sweetbay Supermarkets; Commissioner Bob Janes |
Welcome Newly Elected Officers and Board Members
2007-2008 Offi cers
Tom Hoolihan, Jr.-President • Bruce Schultz-Vice-President Leslie D’Alessandro-Treasurer • Tammy Surratt-Secretary
Newly Elected Board Members:
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Guenther Gosch, CEO/President, Moorings Park |
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Jim McLaughlin, Community Volunteer |
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Brenda Stewart, Executive Director, Lee County Dental Society |
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Lee Pitts, Host and Executive Producer, Lee Pitts Live |
On June 7th Uncommon Friends Foundation and Florida Gulf Coast University co-hosted the second annual Business Ethics Roundtable Luncheon. Special guests at this event were the nationally recognized judges of this year’s Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award, nominees and the three fi nalists for the 2007 award. Additional attendees were business and community leaders from Lee and Collier Counties and Executive MBA students from FGCU.
The luncheon discussion was facilitated by Annette Jacobs, Chair and CEO of SafeHarbor Technology Corporation and Dr. Charles Fornaciari, Uncommon Friends Chair of Ethics, Lutgert College of Business, FGCU. Both Annette and Charles were judges for this year’s business ethics award along with Linda Jones, Senior Vice President for HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation, the company that won the 2006 award. Discussion centered around key questions regarding advice for those advancing into senior management about incorporating ethics into their leadership styles; deciding whether their personal ethics are the same as their organization’s ethics and how to reconcile the two if not; and the ethical challenge when choosing between two “goods”.
Sage advice emerged from the three fi nalists making it clear why they garnered recognition from a fi eld of 46 nominees. “Make decisions based on what’s right or wrong rather than what you think the result will be” was the advice of Al Reynolds, CEO of WilsonMiller an engineering fi rm headquartered in Naples. Robert Simpson, CEO of LeeSar in Lehigh Acres, a medical supply fi rm, noted that “often people who get to the top have huge egos when they need to remain humble and ethically aware.” Finally, Martin Haas, president of Entech Computer Systems said that as a business leader, “You must set the example. You can never let your guard down. Don’t just go after the money.” Dr. Julia East, President & CEO of Southwest Florida Community Foundation, a nominee for the award commented that “fi rst and foremost, managers need to have a moral compass fi rmly in place.” Good words to live by one and all.
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| Luncheon attendees: L-R State Representative and President of Aubuchon Homes, Gary Aubuchon,; Finalist CEO Al Reynolds of WilsonMiller; Judge and discussion facilitator Chair & CEO Annette Jacobs of SafeHarbor Technology Corporation; Dr. Charles Fornaciari, Uncommon Friends Chair of Ethics, FGCU; and Linda Jones, Sr. VP, HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation. |
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| Ethics Award Finalists and Nominees: L-R: Representing two of the nominees are Gary Aubuchon, and Dr. Julia East, President & CEO, Southwest Florida Community Foundation; Al Reynolds, Tom Hoolihan, President of the Board Uncommon Friends Foundation; Martin Haas, Robert Simpson, Dr. Charles Fornaciari. |
Grant Received for Website Development & E Commerce
The Claiborne and Ned Foulds Foundation recently notifi ed Uncommon Friends Foundation that a grant request for $18,500 has been awarded for website development and e commerce. The Uncommon Friends Foundation recently began the process of
updating its website. This update is to more accurately refl ect the enhanced program offerings of the foundation since being established in 1993. The former website was much more focused on the history of the organization. It is now equally important to accurately reveal to the viewer the array of recently added or enhanced character and ethics education programs for schools, students, businesses and adults. The need to make our character education curricula and resources more accessible to teachers, our scholarships to more students, our business ethics award to more businesses and our e-newsletter a reality, was a driving consideration in enhancing the website. The new website will incorporate e commerce features making it easy for teachers to download our curriculum, for donors to make a gift, for individuals and corporations to join our membership, for businesses to apply for the ethics award and scholarship recipients to apply for much needed help in what we call our “second chance scholarships for those with a desire to succeed.”
Thank you
Foulds Foundation for
your support!
Thank You Sweetbay Supermarkets
Thanks to Sweetbay Supermarkets it’s a sweet, sweet life for Uncommon Friends Foundation. Sweetbay Supermarket presented a check for $2,000 to sponsor our Teachers Champions Program at their grand opening on Colonial and Treeline.
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| Top (Left to Right): Bob Melcher, Store Manager; Mayor Jim Humphrey; Alex Bremner, Board Member of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Nancy Humphrey, Board Member of Uncommon Friends Foundation. Bottom (Left to Right): Arlene Roth, Executive Director of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Berne Davis, Board Member of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Jody Van Cooney, Board Member of Uncommon Friends Foundation; David Pope, District Manager of Sweetbay Supermarket. |
Honorary Lifetime Members
1997
James D. Newton
Eleanor Forde Newton
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
1998
Bernese Davis
Meryl Eriksson
Vernon Eriksson
George Sanders
His Majesty, King Michael
of Romania
1999
Walter Cronkite
Paul Bush
The City of Ft. Myers
Fran Myers
John Albion
2000
Congressman Porter Goss
2001
Sam Galloway, Jr.
John W. Sheppard
U.S. Senator Connie Mack
2002
Dr. David Robinson
Connie McCormick
2003
Jody Hendry
Rev. Israel Suarez
2004
Reeve Lindbergh
2005
Bob & Linda Taylor
2006
John Biffar
Tom Smoot, Jr.
The John E. & Aliese
Price Foundation
October 2009—Honorary Lifetime
Member Awards reception
November 2009 —Character
Education Awards Dinner at Royal Palm
Yacht Club
February 2010—Glow-In-The-Dark Golf Tournament at Riverbend
Golf & Riverclub
For more information on any of these events please call Uncommon
Friends Foundation at 337-9505 or email uncommonfriends@mindsprin
g.com. Please come out and support the Uncommon Friends Foundation!!
Senator Martinez Visits Caloosa Middle School
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez talked to students and staff at Caloosa Middle School on February 22nd about the importance of citizenship and character education. Working with Principal Brian Mangan to arrange this visit were Arlene Roth, Uncommon Friends Foundation’s Executive Director and Dr. Patricia Archambault, Uncommon Friends Foundation’s Coordinator of Character Education. Also attending this special meeting
about character education were Tom Hoolihan, Board President of Uncommon Friends Foundation, Dr. James Browder, School Superintendent, School Board Members Dr. Jane Kuckel and Robert Chilmonik, Cape Coral Mayor Eric Feichthaler, and Cape Coral Police Chief Rob Petrovich.
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(Left to right) Principal Brian Mangan, Education Committee member of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Senator Mel Martinez |
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(Left to right) Tom Hoolihan, Board President of Uncommon Friends Foundation; Senator Mel Martinez; Arlene Roth, Executive Director of Uncommon Friends Foundation |
Board of Directors
Robert R. Jones Ed.D, President
Vice-President, Edison State College Lee Campus
Tammy Surratt, Vice President
President, Legacy Family Office, LLC
Leslie D’Alessandro, Treasurer
Partner, Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson, English, CPA
Brenda Stewart, Secretary
Executive Director, Lee Co. Dental Society
Bruce Schultz, Immediate Past President
President & CEO, Southwest Capital Bank
John Albion
Ex. Director, Greater Ft Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce
JoAnn Beightol
Community Volunteer
Brian Bigelow
Lee County Commissioner
Alexandra Bremner
Teacher, Allen Park Elementary School
Larry Byrnes Ph.D.
Professor of Education (Retired) Florida Gulf Coast University
Berne Davis
Philanthropist
Gray Davis
COO, Oswald Trippe and Company, Inc.
Guenther Gosch
CEO/President, Moorings Park
Jacqueline Gregory
Investment Associate, Legacy Family Office, LLC
Randall Henderson, Jr.
City of Fort Myers Councilman
Kerrey Hoolihan
Owner/Broker, Vision One Realty Group
Tom Hoolihan, Jr.
Owner, Tommy Hoolihan’s Resort & Lifestyle Center
Nancy Humphrey
Community Volunteer
Lenny Katz
Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley
D. Hugh Kinsey, Jr.
Attorney, The Sheppard Law Firm
Terri Kinsey
Grants Coordinator, The School District of Lee Co.
Reggie Knight
Retired Non-Profit Executive
Connie McCormick
Retired Health Administrator
David McCormick, Ph.D.
Emeritus University Professor & Administrator
Jim McLaughlin
Broadcaster/Media Professional
Fran Myers
Owner, Red Coconut RV Resort
Alexander “Sandy” Robinson
President, Northern Trust Bank
Robbie Roepstorff
President, Edison National Bank & Bank of the Islands
Erleene Sanders
Owner, EVENTS
Elinor Scricca, Ph.D.
Board of Education Member, The School District of Lee County
Roxie Smith
Owner, Pink Shell Development
Ken Sneeden
Owner, Ken Sneeden & Associates
Sandra Stilwell
Owner, Stilwell Enterprises & Captiva Island Inn
Linda Uhler
Community Volunteer
Jody Van Cooney
Retired Educator
Steven R. Whitley
Partner, Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson, English, CPA
Arlene Roth
Executive Director
Thank you to our new and renewing members for your continued support. We look forward to a successful and prosperous New Year.
This newsletter Sponsored by: Tri Circle Pavers, 239.332.2325
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