The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation (LWRCF) announces nominations are open for the 2024 Annual Humanitarian and Junior Humanitarian of the Year Awards. Nominations close November 4. For more information, visit www.LWRCF.org or call 941-208-6799. The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation accepts nominations annually for the C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian of the Year Award. This prestigious award is in recognition of John Clarke’s lifelong dedication to humanitarian ideals that have perpetuated the high ethical, moral, and professional standards that epitomize his life. The foundation will honor an individual who has – or individuals who have—made outstanding, sustained, and unselfish contributions to community enrichment and whose commitment and dedication exemplify the ideal of service to the community. Past recipients include John Clarke, Don O’Leary, Pat Neal, Lorrain and Dick Vitale, Darrell Turner, Stuart J. Ruth, Bob and Billie Delaney, Lou and AnnMarie Marinaccio, Col. John W. Saputo, Robert Rosinsky, Lee Wetherington, Donald and Vanessa Baugh, Rick Fawley, John Fain and Angela Massaro-Fain, Diane Brune, Joe and Barbra Najmy, Robert Smith, and the 2023 winner Ted Lendenberg. In 2023, the Junior Humanitarian of the Year award was established. As with the tradition of the prestigious Humanitarian of the Year Award, this award honors a youth that embodies the spirit of philanthropy in their daily lives. In 2023, LWRCF honored Amy Kwakye-Amoah, an outstanding senior at the Out of Door Academy in Lakewood Ranch, along with two finalists, Brayan Hernandez-Valez and Marcela Hymes. The vision of the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation is to use the power of giving to serve the community. Founded in 2000, LWRCF’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in our communities by responding to needs, granting funds, and building lasting relationships. Over the past 20+ years, LWRCF has given more than $1.53 million to 140 deserving nonprofits. For more information, visit www.LWRCF.org, email info@LWRCF.org, or call 941-208-6799.