Spirit Of Giving Appoints Ann Rutherford As New Board President For The 2015-2016 Year

A Longtime Boca Raton Resident, Rutherford helped found Spirit of Giving in 2007 and has served as a Board Member Since 2010. End Quote

Fort Lauderdale, FL (1888PressRelease) July 28, 2015 - Boca Raton-based nonprofit Spirit of Giving has appointed Ann Rutherford to serve as the Board President for the 2015-2016 year. Once recognized as the Junior League of Boca Raton's "Woman of the Year," Rutherford was a founding member of Spirit of Giving in 2005, and has served on the board since 2010. She brings more than 40 years of volunteer experience and leadership to her new role.

"We are so excited to appoint Ann Rutherford as our new Board President for the 2015-2016 year," Executive Director Wendy Friswell said. "Since the formation of Spirit of Giving 10 years ago, Ann has continuously demonstrated her ability as a problem solver and passion for helping to fulfill our community's needs."

"To be elected as Board President is an immense honor; Spirit of Giving has played an important role in my life for the past 10 years," Rutherford said. "As we continue to grow our relationships with our member organizations, we are working to direct the flow of resources and knowledge to make our community an even better place to live."

Rutherford first became involved in the community more than 40 years ago when her sons were in an elementary school without a physical education program. An athlete herself, she partnered with the local YMCA and raised enough money to bring a program to the school. Rutherford continued her involvement over the next few years by joining The Y Board, where she helped create a fundraising group called "Women's Auxiliary," working with St. Andrews School to create a booster club in support of school athletics, and the Boca Raton Historical Society. During her time at the Historical Society, Rutherford founded and ran the beloved local food and wine festival Boca Bacchanal for more than a dozen years.

In 2005, Rutherford was among a 16-person group spearheaded by philanthropist Barbara Schmidt to collect donated gifts and hold them for pick up by local charities in Schmidt's garage. Two Christmases later the group partnered with the Junior League of Boca Raton to distribute gifts on a much larger scale, and the organization known as Spirit of Giving was officially formed.

In the 10 years since Spirit of Giving was founded, Rutherford helped the organization grow from a gift drive in a garage to a collaborative nonprofit organization uniting more than 60 other local member organizations. In 2014, Spirit of Giving was selected as the Official Charity Partner for the Inaugural ESPN Boca Raton Bowl, the first ever college football bowl game in Palm Beach County. Rutherford acted as a liaison between the two organizations and helped more than 5,500 at-risk children attend the game for free. Spirit of Giving will return as the Boca Bowl's Official Charity Partner for 2015, giving more local children the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a Bowl game.

Rutherford's love for her community translates in her career as well. When she is not volunteering, Rutherford works as an agent for Coldwell Banker. She has been a top 10% realtor in the Boca Raton area for more than 24 years, helping people find the home of their dreams in the community she has helped make a better place.

Kicking off Rutherford's term as Board President is Spirit of Giving's Annual Back to School Bash on Saturday, August 8th at Village Academy in Delray Beach. This invite-only event will help more than 4,000 South Palm Beach County children in need prepare for a new school year with brand new backpacks, school supplies and more. The Boca Raton Regional Hospital Health Carnival will also be held during the Back to School Bash at Village Academy, and will be open to the public. During the free event from 9am to 3pm, Children and their families will be able to receive dental exams, eye exams, nutritional advice, haircuts and more.

Spirit of Giving is still accepting donations, funding and sponsors at this time for the Back to School Bash. For more information, please email info ( @ ) spiritofgivingnetwork dot com dot

About Spirit of Giving
Now in its seventh year, Spirit of Giving (a 501c3) unites more than 60 nonprofits in Palm Beach County to help facilitate and create programs and alliances that promote lasting change in the community. It is a forum where nonprofits and community supporters share information, resources and best practices. The group's objective is to streamline the delivery of services to the community by working collaboratively to solve issues and improve operations through internal and external partnerships. Community programs that Spirit of Giving manages include acting as the Official Charity Partner of The Boca Raton Bowl, Holiday Gift Drive, Volunteer Training and Placement, Fingerprinting Services, Monthly Nonprofit Meetings, Nonprofit Executive Mastery Institute and Nonprofit Wish List.

For more information, visit spiritofgivingnetwork.com or info ( @ ) spiritofgivingnetwork dot com

###

space

Other Related Press Releases