National Philanthropy Day
A Celebration of Community Leaders
Outstanding Philanthropists
Dr. & Mrs. Herbert Wertheim
Nominated by Florida International University
Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim are true philanthropists in every sense of the word. They have been philanthropic leaders in South Florida for nearly five decades and continue to have an indelible impact on the community. Throughout Dr. Wertheim’s varied career as an inventor, scientist, physician, research clinician, educator, entrepreneur, armed services veteran and community leader, he has remained steadfast in his dedication to the community. Through the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation established in 1977, the couple has supported hundreds of local, national, and international educational, cultural, and healthcare organizations through philanthropic support and volunteer leadership. In the field of healthcare, Dr. Wertheim has worked tirelessly to provide medically underserved populations with increased access to quality preventative and family care. In addition to community-wide philanthropy, the Wertheim’s generous support of higher education has helped FIU expand its academic programs through naming gifts that helped establish the first and only public medical school in Florida, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, and bolster its graduate and research programs in nursing at the newly named Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Recently, the Wertheim family and the University of Florida also announced a transformative gift that will rename its College of Engineering.
Paul and Swanee DiMare
Lifetime Achievement Award
Nominated by the AFP Board of Directors
Swanee and Paul DiMare have been community-wide inspirational philanthropists for decades. Paul J. DiMare is a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and the couple served as vice chairs of the University’s Momentum2 Campaign. The DiMare’s support of UM has touched all areas from Athletics to The Miami Project to cure Paralysis, to the School of Education and Human Development, the Miller School of Medicine, and the Frost School of Music.
Swanee has been dedicated to a wide range of community organizations including Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden and the American Red Cross. She serves on the national board of Women of Tomorrow, as well as on the boards of the Miami City Ballet and the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation. Her community involvement began as a ten-year member of the Delta Airlines management team where she inspired employees to volunteer for local charities.
Paul is president of DiMare Brothers, Inc. and DiMare Homestead Inc. , an organization of growers, packers, and shippers of whole fresh fruits and vegetables. An active community leader, he is chairman of Florida Farmers Inc., a trustee of the Jackson Memorial Foundation, and serves as a director of the Red Cross of South Florida, the Frost Museum of Science, Camillus House, and The Bouniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, among others.
The DiMare’s were recognized by AFP Miami in 2007 with its Outstanding Philanthropists Award.
Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation
Champion of Philanthropy
Nominated by the AFP Board of Directors
Alberto Ibargüen is President, CEO and Trustee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. He is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. During his tenure, The Miami Herald won three Pulitzer Prizes and El Nuevo Herald won Spain’s Ortega y Gasset Prize for excellence in journalism.
Through his innovative approach and transformational leadership at the Knight Foundation, Mr. Ibargüen is a beacon in Miami’s nonprofit world as a true champion of philanthropy, partnership, and community-building. The Knight Foundation, which has an endowment of more than $2 billion, operates across three primary program areas: the Arts, Community and National Initiatives, and Journalism and Media Innovation. Under Ibargüen’s leadership, the Knight Foundation has transformed its outreach and grant making programs by encouraging the participation of smaller organizations, innovators, and nonprofits, and engaging them in creative projects that promote civic engagement, a collaborative spirit, and serve to unite the community.
Mr. Ibargüen has instilled a contagious philosophy of collaboration through the Knight Foundation’s funding initiatives.
He is considered both a local and national leader in his approach to growing the nonprofit journalism movement and weaving it into the fabric of the South Florida community.
Ibargüen will be honored for his unwavering commitment to Miami, and his leadership in the fields of journalism, community engagement, and support of the arts.
Lewis S. “Mike” Eidson
James W. McLamore Outstanding Volunteer Award
Nominated by Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
In courtrooms throughout the nation, Lewis S. “Mike” Eidson is recognized as an accomplished, fierce trial lawyer who fights for justice. As a volunteer, Mr. Eidson focuses that loyalty and compelling enthusiasm on making our community a better place. With more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service over the past decade, Mr. Eidson has advocated for the most vulnerable children in our community by co-founding a campaign to raise money for Miami-Dade County’s Guardian Ad Litem Program. He has worked to make our city a world-class cultural capital as a volunteer leader of the Adrienne Arsht Center of the Performing Arts and the Miami City Ballet. And he has steered billion-dollar development and explosive economic growth in a once-depressed downtown Miami neighborhood as one of the founding board members of Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization devoted to creating a vibrant, attractive urban center for Miami. Since 2010, Mr. Eidson has been Chair of the Performing Arts Center Trust, the independent volunteer body of community leaders that manages the Arsht Center. An unrelenting champion of the arts, he also has been a volunteer leader for Art Basel, the Florida Grand Opera, and Cleveland Orchestra Miami. Along with his wife, Dr. Margaret Eidson, his passion extends beyond the arts to such causes as the United Way, Kristi House and the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis – among so many others who have benefitted from his trademark intensity and generosity.
Ann Machado
James W. McLamore Outstanding Volunteer Award
Nominated by YWCA-Greater Miami
Ann Machado is highly recognized as both a dedicated volunteer and savvy business pioneer who uses her influence to bring awareness, resources and funds to support programs for women and girls. After founding Creative Staffing in 1985, the company evolved into one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. under her leadership. As a trailblazer for professional women and a champion of families in need, she has pushed to include women in Miami’s business world and place women’s issues in the forefront. Through her work with Abilities of Florida, she helped provide training to women with disabilities and education for adults with varying ability levels. Machado has provided continual intellectual and financial capital to serve those most in need in Miami-Dade. To raise the visibility of breast cancer in South Florida, she helped lead an effort through the YWCA board to bring the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to Miami Dade County – an event that is now flourishing. As a YWCA board member and chair, she has been directly involved with designing, funding and building the current home of the YWCA and championing women’s health access initiatives in underserved areas. Machado has been recognized both locally and nationally for her commitment to community engagement and innovative business practices. Most recently, Ann was honored as one of the Top Florida Women Led Businesses by the University of Miami and the Commonwealth Institute of South Florida.
United Way of Miami-Dade
Outstanding Grantmaker Award
Nominated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami
In the spring of 1924 a small group of business and civic leaders formed United Way of Miami-Dade – then known as the Miami Community Chest – to raise money for the fledging city’s social service agencies. The idea was straightforward – organize one coordinated campaign to improve the welfare of the entire community. Those first volunteers could hardly have imagined that their efforts would spark a movement spanning nine decades and still growing strong today.
The first campaign lasted three days and raised $140,000 for more than 12 agencies. In fiscal year 2014, United Way of Miami-Dade distributed more than $33 million in restricted and unrestricted grants. Services generated through special grants, matching and in-kind gifts, volunteer time and other key initiatives made United Way’s total impact on the community nearly $86 million. United Way turns every community plan dollar into $2.30 worth of services to the community. Today, United Way of Miami-Dade is the largest private funder of health and human services in Miami-Dade.
Throughout its history, United Way of Miami-Dade has become one of our community’s most trusted institutions. In addition to its strict governance practices, United Way’s ability to respond to new and emerging community issues has earned it respect and praise. From its early days following the hurricane of 1926 to today, United Way has been at the forefront of addressing community issues as they arise and designing innovative solutions to meet their needs.
The Miami Marlins
Julia Tuttle Award for Community Involvement and Corporate Citizenship
Nominated by The Miami Foundation
In 1999, the Miami Marlins established their philanthropic arm, The Marlins Foundation, now recognized as a pillar in our community for its investment in the city and its philanthropic outreach. The Foundation leads the team’s corporate social responsibility initiative and funds programs that improve the lives of children through education, the arts and baseball. Through countless civic engagement initiatives, marquee events, and programs like the Charity Partner Endowment Fund, the Foundation also invests in nonprofit organizations. Since the opening of Marlins Park, The Foundation has invested more than $750,000 in their charity partners and more than $5 million in philanthropy has been invested in the South Florida community.
Marlins Ayudan, its signature outreach program, provides a volunteer corps willing and ready to effectuate positive change by engaging front office employees with schools and charities throughout South Florida. Since its inception in 2010, Marlins Ayudan has contributed over 33,000 hours of service and established partnerships and traditions of giving that inspire employees to pursue their passions and contribute their time and talents year-round.
The Miami Marlins have also been pivotal partners in building awareness and support for philanthropy in our community through participation in The Miami Foundation’s annual Give Miami Day event.
