Volunteers of America Honors the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust and David Fennelly
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Burch
Volunteers of America
(703) 341-5054 or dburch@voa.org
NEW ORLEANS (June 5, 2018) – Volunteers of America, one of the nation’s largest and oldest human services charities, presented its 2018 Outstanding Community Service Award to the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust and to New Orleans business leader David Fennelly.
Since its inception in 2014, the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust has been a faithful partner of Volunteers of America, as well as a generous contributor to the greater New Orleans community. Established from the estate of Oscar Tolmas, a New Orleans real estate entrepreneur, the Trust donates roughly $2.5 million a year to the community in support of veterans, medical care, and children and youth at risk or in crisis.
David Fennelly, pictured at right, is the founder and chairman of Associated Terminals, and chairman of Turn Services. But in New Orleans, he is better known as a champion—both personally and professionally—of giving back. His companies have a strong corporate culture of employee-driven community engagement, and he personally has acquired a reputation as an extremely generous philanthropist. Fennelly and his partner Carlos Sanchez are passionate champions for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, contributing thousands of dollars each year from their family foundation—The Fennelly Sanchez Fund.
Volunteers of America presents the Outstanding Community Service Award each year to organizations or individuals that display outstanding service to their local communities, either through work with the local Volunteers of America office or through a community project.
Approximately 600 Volunteers of America leaders and care providers from across the United States travelled to New Orleans for the organization’s 2018 National Conference on June 2-5. Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana offers more than 20 human services programs that support and empower children, families, seniors, individuals with disabilities and veterans in 16 south Louisiana parishes, including the New Orleans area. Delivering lifesaving short-term and lifelong services to those in need, the affiliate serves more than 50,000 of the most underserved individuals annually.
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About Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including veterans, seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and health care, Volunteers of America helps almost 1.3 million people in over 400 communities. We offer a variety of services for older Americans, in particular, that allow them to maintain their independence and quality of life – everything from an occasional helping hand to full-time care. Our work touches the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.