COMMUNITY MADISON’S MVP VOLUNTEERS

Celebrate our community volunteers with the first annual Madison Visionary Awards

STORY BY MELANIE THORNTON

PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BERRY

MMadison Visionary Partners (MVP) is hosting its inaugural Madison Visionary Awards, a community-wide event to celebrate the people who make Madison a great place to live, work and play at 11:30 a.m. on March 30 at the SportsMed Club at Toyota Stadium. Tickets are on sale and limited sponsorships are available until March 15.

During the luncheon, awards will be given to Community Volunteer of the Year, Youth Volunteer of the Year, Philanthropic Business of the Year, and Madison Visionary of the Year.

“One of the elements of Madison’s success is its people and MVP thought it fitting to honor the volunteers who work every day to build community in our city,” said Melanie Thornton, Executive Director of MVP. “We have many people doing good and most often, they are the ones working behind the scenes. What better way to bring them in the spotlight than through these awards?”

Finalists are featured in the following pages, except for the Madison Visionary of the Year The finalists for that category will remain a mystery until the ceremony.

“We had such a wonderful response from the community during the nomination process. We have a great group of volunteers and businesses who will be highlight - ed for their work in Madison,” said Thornton.

These awards highlight a key element in MVP’s mission as Madison’s community nonprofit. In addition to fundraising for large projects, MVP is also working on building a community of volunteers who want to bring small projects, events, and programs to Madison.

“Madison’s leaders have a vision for our community that MVP, along with other community organizations, can help bring to reality,” said Jeff Showalter, Chair of the MVP Board of Directors. “Support for our mission is integral as we continue to grow as a city and a region.”

Also part of the awards program will be the presentation of recipients of the first Community Impact Grant. Also in its first year, MVP is granting $15,000 to local nonprofits for programs and events that will benefit the community.

“Any way we can enhance and support the nonprofit activity in Madison is going to be beneficial to the community. We have some great projects that are going to get funding,” said Thornton.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit mvpmadison.org/visionaryawards. Tickets will be on sale until March 15.