Finalists Announced for 18th Annual Invest in Others Awards, Honoring Financial Advisors for Dedication to Charitable Work

Awards Will Be Presented at Gala in Boston on September 19

BOSTON, July 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Invest in Others Charitable Foundation ("Invest in Others") has announced 15 finalists for the 2024 Invest in Others Awards, which will be held on September 19, 2024 at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport.

"This year's finalists have gone above and beyond—showing exceptional dedication, compassion, and leadership in their support of nonprofits that truly impact lives," said R. Barkley Payne, Executive Director of the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation. "It gives us great pleasure to fund their chosen charities, advancing our mission to amplify, celebrate, and inspire charitable efforts in the financial services community and beyond."

Now in its 18th year, the Invest in Others (IiO) Awards program honors financial advisors who volunteer their time and talents to support nonprofits, positively impacting lives and the communities they serve. Through the five award categories – Catalyst, Community Service, Emerging Impact, Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement – the IiO Awards honor financial advisors who have contributed to their charitable causes in significant ways.

Finalists are selected based on their leadership, dedication, contribution, inspiration and impact on both their designated charities and the communities they serve. This year, IiO is honoring 90 financial advisors, 15 of which were selected as finalists among the five categories with one recipient being chosen for each award.

In addition to receiving recognition for their work, IiO will provide $25,000 grants in honor of the finalists to support their designated charities. This increases to $60,000 for recipients named in the Catalyst, Community Service, Emerging Impact and Volunteer of the Year categories and to $100,000 for the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The recipients will be announced at the Invest in Others Awards Gala on September 19.

Top sponsors of the IiO Awards include Apollo, Cetera Financial Group, Commonwealth Financial Network, Fidelity Investments, LPL Financial, Merrill, MFS, Natixis Investment Managers, Orion, Osaic and Private Advisor Group. To learn more about the finalists, honorable mentions and their charitable work, visit investinothers.org/awards and follow #IiOAwards on social media.

The 2024 Invest in Others Awards finalists are:

Catalyst

• Shawn Tydlaska of Ballast Point Financial Planning in Burlingame, Calif., for BLX Internship Program
• Nicky Rudd of Morgan Stanley in Alpharetta, Ga., for Brewable, Inc
• Avigail Rosemore of Morgan Stanley in Lutherville, Md., for Chai Lifeline

Community Service

• Gregory Spinazze of @Aspen LLC in Farmington Hills, Mich., for Vista Maria
• Luis F. Rosa of Build a Better Financial Future, LLC in Henderson, Nev., for BLX Internship Program
• Candace Kaplan of Kaplan Financial Group, LLC in Rockville, Md., for JSSA (Jewish Social Service Agency)

Emerging Impact

• Tommy Bohanon of Baystate Financial in Bonita Springs, Fla., for Tommy Bohanon Foundation
• Seth Haye of Morgan Stanley in Westlake Village, Calif., for Pepperdine University
• Derek Fiorenza of Summit Group Retirement Planners in Exton, Pa., for Fiorenza's Food For Friends (F4)

Lifetime Achievement

• Bruce Woodruff of Bruce Woodruff & Associates in Orlando, Fla., for La Amistad Foundation, Inc. dba Lakewood Center
• Marc Cassalina of Merrill Lynch in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Steve Elkins of William Blair in Chicago, Ill., for Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund

Volunteer of the Year

• Tim Andreas of Andreas Global Asset Management Group in Lake Charles, La., for Local Heart Foundation
• Leon A. Henry of 3 C Financial Service in Weatherford, Texas, for Careity Foundation
• Wornel Simpson of Osaic Wealth, Inc. in Sacramento, Calif., for Scholar Athletes Globally Emerging, Inc.

Since 2007, Invest in Others has partnered with more than 750 charities, shared hundreds of inspirational stories and donated over $6 million to a wide array of causes, including health and wellness, education and youth programs, arts and culture, hunger and poverty prevention, military, and veterans and more.

About the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation
The Invest in Others 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation aims to amplify, celebrate, and inspire the charitable work of the financial services community. Invest in Others is a catalyst to channel philanthropy and volunteerism to where it is needed most.

For more information, visit investinothers.org or follow Invest in Others on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

Media Contact:
Sabrina Scarpa
JConnelly for Invest in Others
[email protected] | 973.309.0051

SOURCE Invest in Others Charitable Foundation