The Spirit of Philanthropy Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation, and recognizes persons who have demonstrated extraordinary philanthropic spirit and accomplishments. There is no requirement to recognize someone with the Spirit of Philanthropy Award every year, so it is only awarded when someone truly remarkable rises to the top.
This year, we are proud to recognize another community member for their extraordinary contributions to Putnam County: Alan Zerkel. Alan has been an integral part of the community for nearly 30 years when he moved to Putnam County to pursue a new career opportunity. Since then, he has had an immeasurable impact in our community, giving of his time, talents and treasures to ensuring Putnam County remains a great place to call home.
Alan has served, and continues to do so, in varying capacities with the Putnam County Public Library, Beyond Homeless, Kiwanis, and with the Putnam County Community Foundation, just to name a few. Although he is no longer on the board at Beyond Homeless, he continues to mow the grass at the Beyond Homeless Thrift Store. Beyond these civic engagements, he has tirelessly devoted his life to ensuring our children have access to quality education through his tenure as Principal at North Putnam High School, involvement with Real Men Who Read, and EDGE 21. He serves as an elder of the Roachdale Christian Church and as a careful fund steward of the Heritage Lake Scholarship Fund, where he works hard to ensure that no deserving student at Heritage Lake goes unassisted. In addition, Alan and his wife, Mary, established a named scholarship in 2015 to provide funding for a graduating North Putnam senior to pursue their dream. Alan was also recognized as an Honorary Board Member at the Community Foundation after serving from 2016-2021, and he continues to serve and provide his wisdom and knowledge on the Scholarships and Educational Attainment Committee to this day.
We are grateful for Alan’s servant leadership in our organization and in our community, and we are honored to recognize him as the newest recipient of the Spirt of Philanthropy award.
Thanks to the Banner Graphic for their article about Alan Zerkel here.