Cobb Community Foundation names recipient of new Howard Koepka Collaborative Spirit Award
Dec. 8—Cobb Community Foundation announced that Sweetwater Mission was named the recipient of the first annual Howard Koepka Collaborative Spirit Award, an award that in its inaugural year carries with it an unrestricted grant of $10,000.
This new award honors the life and collaborative spirit of the late Howard Koepka, a much-loved community organizer known for asking everyone everywhere, "How can we help you?" In his role at Noonday Association of Churches, he was an integral part of the Cobb Community Food Fleet, an initiative of Cobb Community Foundation and Noonday Association in collaboration with 90 nonprofit, for profit, faith-based and government organizations that distributed over four million pounds of food during the pandemic.
This award was presented alongside the Cobb Collaborative's presentation of the 2022 Human Services Awards. Shari Martin, President and CEO of Cobb Community Foundation, recalled her comments when naming Koepka the 2019 Visionary Philanthropist in 2019.
"I said at the time, 'I can't begin to tell you all that this man has done," Martin said. "More importantly, I can't imagine all that he is going to do.' We didn't know then that he would only be with us 10 more months. But he is still doing so much more. He awakened in many of us a spirit of collaboration, and that spirit is alive and well in this room."
The Howard Koepka Collaborative Spirit Award honors not just Koepka, according to Martin, but those organizations who embody his collaborative spirit. Of the 10 organizations nominated, Sweetwater stood out as exemplifying the idea that multiple organizations working together can accomplish more than any single organization can accomplish on its own.
Sweetwater Mission's collaborative spirit was evidenced not only in the number of partners they engage, but also in the number of recommendations they received.
"Sweetwater takes seriously the village notion that it takes many people to help with large, complicated problems," wrote Martie Moore in the nomination submitted by First Presbyterian of Marietta. "In their programs, they collaborate with everyone from South Cobb High School, local churches and small businesses to UPS, the Atlanta Braves, Rotary International and the United Way."
"Sweetwater Mission is the first to help and the last to ask or look for accolades," said Kim Scofi of United Military Care in her nomination for the organization. "They are genuinely shining stars and regularly promote others first."
"Sweetwater Mission solicits volunteers from all civic organizations across Cobb County and beyond," said Barry Kreps of Lions Club who proceeded to name eight different organizations as "just a few" of Sweetwater's partners.
"Sweetwater is always quick to work with other organizations to serve the needs of the community," said Mableton Improvement Coalition's president Ray Thomas in his submission.
Debbie Ginocchio, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Fundraising at Sweetwater, worked closely with Koepka and joined Executive Director Pat Soden in accepting the award.
"We are able to do so much more together," Ginocchio said, struggling to hold back emotion. "That's what Howard used to say, and I think about that every day."
The $10,000 grant was made possible by S.A. White Oil Company. Kim Gresh, President of S.A. White, and her team worked closely with Koepka and the Food Fleet throughout the pandemic providing fuel for refrigerated trailers over a 16-month period.
For more information, visit cobbfoundation.org.
