Brian Tietz
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Oct. 30, 2015) – In honor of National Philanthropy Day® (NPD), and in the spirit of philanthropy this November, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and photographer Brian Tietz are seeking nominations for outstanding philanthropists in the our region to honor as one of the Southwest Florida Faces of Philanthropy.
Selected nominees will be photographed by Tietz, a commercial, editorial and corporate photographer, and will be featured in the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s Photo Art Exhibit “Faces of Philanthropy” next spring.
“Faces of Philanthropy is a celebration of the giving spirit in Southwest Florida,” said Sarah Owen, president and CEO of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. “It all started when photographer Brian Tietz offered the gift of his talent to capture the essence of Southwest Florida philanthropists through his portraits. The Foundation knew we had to share this generous act with the whole community. I can’t think of a more fitting way of celebrating our 40-year history and honoring the legacy of our founders than by capturing the faces of those who are making a difference in our community now.”
Special receptions will be held during the Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Celebration on April 14 and 15, 2016. Nominees and those who nominated them will receive invitations.
Nominees must be passionate about our community and/or giving back to our community through their time, talent and/or treasure. They must live within the five-county area of Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties.
Deadline for nominations is midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
To nominate a change-maker for the Faces of Philanthropy, visit www.floridacommunity.com/faces-of-philanthropy.
National Philanthropy Day is Nov. 15, the day that thousands of people celebrate “the love of humankind,” and come together to both put that word into action and recognize the change that word has brought to our communities. National Philanthropy Day is both an official day and a grassroots movement. Every year, since 1986 when President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed Nov. 15 as National Philanthropy Day, communities across the globe have celebrated by hosting events to recognize activities of donors, volunteers, foundations, leaders, corporations, and others engaged in philanthropy.
Tietz is based in Fort Myers and specializes in portrait and lifestyle images. Originally from Northern Wisconsin, he moved to the South Florida as a teenager and learned to love photography after his parents subscribed to the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) newspaper. He worked his way through high school in the One Hour Photo Lab of a neighborhood Eckerd Drug Store, an experience that exposed him to the technical aspects of photography and offered an opportunity to learn from the successes and mistakes of tourists and amateur photographers who would come in on a daily basis.
Tietz went on to graduate from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism, which offered editorial photography opportunities. He has worked as a correspondent for wires like AP and Getty, and newspapers like USA Today and the New York Times.
As leaders, conveners, grant makers and concierges of philanthropy, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is a foundation built on community leadership with an inspired history of fostering regional change for the common good in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Community Foundation, founded in 1976, connects donors and their philanthropic aspirations with evolving community needs. With assets of more than $93 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $61.2 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves. Last year, it granted more than $2.9 million to nonprofit organizations supporting education, animal welfare, arts, healthcare and human services. It also granted $782,000 in nonprofit grants including more than $551,000 in regional community impact grants and additional $450,000 in scholarship grants.
For more information about the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com.
