{"id":68593,"date":"2025-12-02T21:55:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T21:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/68593\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T21:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T21:55:11","slug":"community-foundation-of-broward-honors-six-new-1-million-endowments-at-2025-community-builders-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/68593\/","title":{"rendered":"Community Foundation of Broward Honors Six New $1 Million+ Endowments at 2025 Community Builders Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Aaron Weeks, Burnadette Norris Weeks, Jennifer OFlannery Anderson, Elizabeth De Lapresle, Sheri Brown Grosvenor<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Community Foundation of Broward<\/a>\u00a0hosted an unforgettable evening \u201cunder the sea\u201d to honor its 2025 Community Builders, visionary philanthropists who partner with the Community Foundation to create endowed charitable funds of $1 million or more, that shape a brighter future for Broward.<\/p>\n

Dev Motwani, Gary Wendt, Alice and Mike Jackson, Robert Taylor and Robin Taylor Fleming, June Wise, and the Little Owl Fund (created anonymously) are now among the 66 Community Builders who have partnered with the Community Foundation to transform and invigorate\u00a0the community they love with endowed giving that ensures their impact never ends. The 66 total Community Builders, whose collective gifts exceed $155 million, represent nearly half of the Community Foundation\u2019s assets, which fuel the Foundation\u2019s grantmaking to local nonprofits.<\/p>\n

These dedicated individuals, families and community organizations support innovation and tackle Broward\u2019s big challenges with grants \u2013 in their name or anonymously \u2013 from their endowed funds. By working with the Foundation for their philanthropy, Community Builders amplify their impact today and create a legacy of community support that never ends. Through the Community Foundation\u2019s careful stewardship, the principal of their endowment is invested and grows over time, providing a continuous and permanent source of support that uplifts the community by championing charitable causes important to the Community Builders.<\/p>\n

During the 2025 Community Builder celebration\u00a0on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Pier Sixty-Six\u2019s Aviva Ballroom and Lawn, South Florida\u2019s top community leaders, philanthropists, and influencers were among the guests who joined the Community Foundation of Broward for an enchanting evening to recognize those who uplift, connect, and inspire \u2013\u00a0driving real change in Broward. Guests gathered for an evening featuring coastal-inspired d\u00e9cor and live entertainment. Attendees were welcomed with a steel drum band and enjoyed a special performance by Troy Anderson\u2019s Wonderful World Band. That included the song, \u201cLead with Love,\u201d which was written by the Community Foundation of Broward\u2019s Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Kirk Englehardt.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an honor to celebrate the visionary philanthropists who choose to make waves that never stop,\u201d said Community Foundation President\/CEO\u00a0Jennifer\u00a0O\u2019Flannery Anderson, Ph.D. \u201cBy working with the Foundation, our Community Builders amplify their impact today while creating a legacy that never ends. It\u2019s not just smart giving; it\u2019s giving that leads with love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dev Motwani\u00a0reshapes the skyline with developments that elevate the economy, and his philanthropy transforms lives and propels the community to new heights. Motwani is managing partner of his family\u2019s real estate and investment firm, which began with the transformation of a local hotel where he lived as a child. To give back to the community he loves, Motwani empowers Broward College students to launch careers, and he champions the arts with support for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The endowed Dev Motwani Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward ensures his support for the community never ends.<\/p>\n

Gary Wendt\u00a0shapes brighter futures with philanthropy that empowers others to achieve success. He supports college scholarships for students in his hometown of Rio, Wisconsin. Wendt is a longtime supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs and started a nationwide initiative building college placement organizations for Native Americans who attend clubs on Native Lands. In Broward, Wendt invests in youth leadership initiatives, education advancement and training to help nonprofits thrive. To create endowed support for his charitable passions, Wendt partnered with the Community Foundation of Broward to shepherd the Wendt Family Scholarship Fund and the Valerie Ahneman and Gary C. Wendt Leadership Fund \u2013 named for Wendt\u2019s longtime partner, Valerie.<\/p>\n

Alice and Mike Jackson\u00a0lead by example to lift up the community they love. They volunteer their time and dedicate their giving to causes and organizations that shape a brighter future. They support nonprofits that champion working families in need, early childhood education and cancer research. Their endowed Alice and Mike Jackson Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward ensures their community impact will never end. By partnering with the Community Foundation, their endowed grantmaking support for early education, the arts, cancer research and paying kindness and generosity forward will transform lives and enrich the community in perpetuity.<\/p>\n

Robert Taylor and his sister Robin Taylor Fleming\u00a0established the endowed Sherry Taylor Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward to honor their mother and ensure permanent support for Sheridan House Family Ministries. Sherry Taylor helped her husband, Bob, create a company that grew into Burdette Beckmann, Inc. (BBI) \u2013 one of the nation\u2019s largest specialty sales agencies, where Robert later became CEO. Sherry also helped start Sheridan House in Davie, which helps children, single mothers and families in need. Through the Foundation\u2019s stewardship, the fund celebrating Sherry\u2019s memory will always be there to support counseling, residential care, aid for struggling mothers and other Sheridan House ministries.<\/p>\n

June Wise, a self-proclaimed free spirit who wasn\u2019t shy to speak her mind, used to say she liked animals better than people. Born in England, Wise pursued a hotel career that took her to Canada, the Caribbean and Florida, where she started an antiques business in Dania Beach. Throughout her adventurous life, Wise\u2019s charitable giving helped animals and protected the environment. By partnering with the Community Foundation of Broward to create The June Wise Fund, she established endowed, sustainable support for organizations that champion animals and the environment. With the Foundation to shepherd her fund, Wise\u2019s impact will never end.<\/p>\n

The Little Owl Fund\u00a0at the Community Foundation of Broward supports opportunities to make the world a better place. Year after year, grants from this endowed fund transform lives by improving housing, feeding the hungry and fighting addiction. It lifts the human spirit with ongoing investments in the arts and education. Through the Foundation\u2019s stewardship, the fund will always be there to protect the environment with support for plants and animals. The Little Owl Fund honors the Joseph Uihlein family\u2019s tradition of philanthropy and pays homage to the family name, which translates to \u201cowl.\u201d The Uihlein family established and owned the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.<\/p>\n

About the Community Foundation of Broward:<\/p>\n

Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Broward partners with families, individuals and organizations to create personalized charitable funds that deliver game-changing philanthropic impact.\u00a0 590 charitable funds represent $330 million in assets, distributing more than $215 million in grants over the past 40 years.\u00a0 The Community Foundation transforms our community through focused leadership that fosters collaboration, builds endowment, advances equity and connects people who care to causes that matter. The Foundation empowers visionaries, innovators and doers to create the change they want to see in the community we love.\u00a0www.cfbroward.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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