SAGE AWARDS

Join us to honor the 5^th Annual Sage Award nominees.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

10:30 a.m. Brunch

The Frances Langford Theater at the Kane Center

Tickets: $125

A Hybrid Event: In-person seating for Nominees and two guests. All other ticket holders will attend virtually.

Congratulations to the 2020-21 Sage Award Nominees!

*Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honorary Chairman and Keynote Speaker

Honorary Chairman

William Lichtenberger

H. William Lichtenberger

H. William Lichtenberger received the Charlie Kane Award in 2018.

Keynote Speaker

Dr Brody

Dr. Mark Brody

President and Founder of Brain Matters Research

“Getting Close to a Cure for Alzheimer’s”

Brain Matters Research is one of the largest Alzheimer’s disease clinical research facilities in the country.

Proceeds from the Sage Awards will benefit the charitable work of the Council on Aging of Martin County, which includes Meals on Wheels, a therapeutic Adult Day Club, the Joseph C. & Ann S. Day Medical Center, geriatric care management and caregiver support.

2020 Sage Award Honorees & Nominees

Linda Kardos Howard Robbins best

Charlie Kane Award Honorees

Dr. Linda Kardos and Dr. Howard Robbins

Dr. Linda S. Kardos and Dr. Howard Robbins have been pillars of the medical community, providing thorough, thoughtful medical care and leadership in Stuart for over 30 years. Outside their busy internal medicine practice, they dedicate their time, treasure and expertise to many local charitable organizations.

Robert Benson

Sue DeNike

Rocky Grady

Rachelle "Rocky" Grady

Dan Mackin

Karlette Peck

Claire Siefker

LaVaughn Tilton

LaVaughn Tilton (Posthumous)

Lee Borellis

Sage Awards

Kevin Donahue

Ann Jackson

Eileen Morris

Dorothy Scotto

Ellyn Stevenson

Thomas Trust

Chairman's Award

William & Helen Thomas Charitable Trust

The William & Helen Thomas Charitable Trust has been honored with the 2020 Chairman's Award for fulfilling the legacy of a long-time philanthropic couple from Stuart, Florida by supporting nonprofit organizations providing services for education, the environment, medical needs, the underprivileged and other charitable purposes.

LaBarbara Chenault

Dr. LaBarbara Chenault

Pat Garrett

Belinda Lowe

Richard Otten

Alice Shann

Nancyann Taylor

Sean Todd

Sean M. Todd

2019 Winners

Charlie Kane Award

Robert J. and Carol Weissman, received the 2019 Charlie Kane Award for their significant contributions to dozens of charities in Martin County.

Chairman's Award

John P. (Jack) Forde, received the 2019 Chairman's Award for giving so freely of his business acumen and strong belief in giving back to the community.

Human Services Award

Mary Kay Buckeridge

Mary Kay Buckeridge, received a 2019 Sage Award for Human Services for making a significant difference in the lives of the populations that Helping People Succeed serves. Her guidance in policy issues, long term planning and fund raising has been critical to the growth of Helping People Succeed.

Health Science and Medicine Award

Helen Cook, won a 2019 Sage Award for Health Science and Medicine for pouring her knowledge, experience and love into the lives of patients of Treasure Coast Hospice.

Professional Service Award

Don Cuozzo, won a 2019 Sage Award in Professional Service for continuing his 35 year as a profesional planner by serving the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) which keeps the waterways on the entire east coast of Florida environmentally safe for all of us to enjoy.

Education Award

Jane Ditmars, received a 2019 Sage Award for Education for continuing her lifelong passion of enabling people to live up to their full potential by serving as a volunteer tutor at Hope Rural School and the KinDoo Family Center.

Arts and Culture Award

Dr. John Enyart received a 2019 Sage Award in Arts and Culture for his enormous impact on the lives of hundreds of young people as a distinguished music educator..

Community Service Award

Wright.RitaMay

Bette Evans received a 2019 Sage Award in Community Service in recognition of more than three decades as a dedicated volunteer and advocate for the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce and the greater Hobe Sound community.

Remarkable Caregiver Award

Diane Gracyk

Diane Gracyk received a 2019 Sage Award in the Remarkable Caregiver category for introducing life-changing caregiver support and training to fellow family caregivers in her community.

Military and Veterans Service Award

Bob Schneider

Bob Schneider received a 2019 Sage Award for Military and Veterans Service for his collaboration with the Salvation Army, VFW and the American Legion to provide hot, fresh, nutritious meals to homeless veterans.

Faith-Based Service Award

Al Warren

Dr. Al Warren received a 2019 Sage Award for Faith-Based Service for providing thousands of people on the Treasure Coast with low cost or no cost dental care which is not covered by insurance, Medicaid or Medicare.

2019 Nominees

2018 Winners

Charlie Kane Award

H. William Lichtenberger, received the 2018 Charlie Kane Award for the decades of significant contributions he has made to numerous local charitable organizations, allowing them to better carry out their missions and shape Martin County into a truly exceptional place to live.

Chairman's Award

Knight Kiplinger, a renowned economic journalist and philanthropist, received the 2018 Chairman's Award for his unceasing drive to create innovative solutions to better the communities of Martin County.

Community Advocacy Award

Saadia Tsaftarides, received a 2018 Sage Award for Community Advocacy for her active role in serving the Golden Gate community, embodying her belief that everyone should have a clean, welcoming and safe place to call home.

Public Advocacy Award

Robert L. Crandall, Robert L. Crandall won a 2018 Sage Award for Public Advocacy for his unwaivering support of local causes, most notably, his leadership in Citizens Against Rail Expansion, publicly opposing the proposed high-speed rail in order to protect the small towns of coastal Florida.

Arts and Culture Award

Julia Kelly, won a 2018 Sage Award in Arts and Culture for her decades working locally in Martin County as an artist, educator, committed volunteer and philanthropist who specializes in teaching others how to tap into their creative expression.

Community Service Award

Julie Preast, received a 2018 Sage Award in Community Service for her dedication to improving her Rio community and ensuring historic preservation of treasured sites throughout Martin County.

Education Award

Mildred C. Gipson received a 2018 Sage Award in Education for devoting more than 60 years of her life to serving, mentoring, and contributing her time, resources, and talents to the advancement of others.

Health Science and Medicine Award

Rita May Wright received a 2018 Sage Award in Health Science and Medicine for her lifelong commitment to volunteerism, advocacy and philanthropy particularly focused on championing organizations that provide high-quality health care.

Military Veterans Service Award

Dr. Shamsher Singh received a 2018 Sage Award in Military and Veterans Support for his abundant gifts of time and treasure that have enabled Southeast Florida Honor Flight to keep its promise to South Florida's veterans by honoring the service and sacrifices they gave to our country.

Faith-Based Service Award

Sister Mary Dooley and Sister Katherine Kinnally received a 2018 Sage Award for Faith-Based Service. After more than a decade leading Hope Rural School in Indiantwon, they founded the KinDoo Family Center, continuing their dedication to uplifting immigrant families through hope, education and faith.

2018 Nominees

2017 Winners

Community Service Award

Gytha Von Aldenbruck, from Hutchinson Island, won a Sage Award in Community Service for her unwaivering commitment to multiple organizations across the Treasure Coast including Treasure Coast Hospice, Memory Bridge, Alzheimer's Community Care, the American Cancer Society, the Arts Council on Martin County and Martin County Community Foundation.

Faith-Based Service Award
Dale M. Hudson, from Stuart, received a Sage Award in Faith-Based Service. For 23 years Dale has served as the chairman of Mary's Kitchen - an outreach mission of St. Mary's Episcopal Church. Through his devotion to this mission, over 200,000 meals have been served to the hungry and homeless living in our midst.

Healthcare & Health Services Award
Dr. Reza Khatib, from Palm City, received a Sage Award in Healthcare & Health Services. Dr. Khatib is a retired neurosurgeon who continues to pursue his passions through far-reaching philanthropic work. He endows chairs and professorships in Neurological Surgery and Oncology at four U.S. universities. He was instrumental in the opening of the first hospice in Iran in 2017. And, he created the Khatib Bridge and Education Center here in Stuart.

Healthcare & Health Services Award
Dr. Barbara Bush, from Stuart, received a Sage Award in Healthcare & Health Services. Dr. Bush has continued her 39 years of volunteering with the Martin Health Auxiliary well into her retirement, logging 18,450 hours of service. Whether in a leadership role or helping patients through the No One Dies Alone Program, she's known for her remarkable dedication to health care.

Human Services Award
Irwin Stovroff, from Boca Raton, won a Sage Award in Human Services for founding Vets Helping Heroes at the age of 84, which underwrites service dogs for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The organization has provided service dogs for more than 300 veterans. Well into his 90s, Irwin continues as President of Vets Helping Heroes.

Professional Services Award
Dr. David L. Anderson, from Port Salerno, won a Sage Award in Professional Services for his lifelong commitment to improve the quality of education for all students in Martin County. At the age of 71, he was the longest sitting School Board member in the State of Florida. He is one of the county's best known educators and the namesake for our newest middle school in Martin County.

Service to the Arts Award
Dr. Marie Jureit-Beamish, from Sewall's Point, received a 2017 Sage Award in Service to the Arts. Dr. Jureit-Beamish continues her musical passion and commitment through board member leadership roles in the arts and through establishing “Sunset Concerts in the Gallery”, “Coffee with the Conductor”, The Jureit Musicales and the Marie and J. Calvin Jureit Foundation.

Charlie Kane Award
The 2017 Charlie Kane Award was given to Dr. Howard E. Voss, from Stuart, who has dedicated decades to teaching, contributing significant medical research, and treating patients without the ability to pay. He fundamentally believes in meeting the health and wellness needs of the medically underserved population of Martin County, and for the past ten years, not only provided medical services, but also led the entire Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, as Medical Director and CEO.

Chairman's Award
The 2017 Chairman’s Award was given to David L. Smythe, of Hutchinson Island, for his steadfast commitment to supporting organizations that benefit the welfare of children living on the Treasure Coast, including StarStruck Theatre, Inc., Hibiscus Children's Center, and the Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast. He also gave an extraordinary gift to the Martin Health Foundation for the David L. Smythe Wound Center.

Public Service Award
The 2017 Public Service Award was presented to Elmira Gainey, of Stuart, for devoting decades of her life and her talents in public service for the greater good of Martin County. After a 32 year career as an educator, she entered the political arena as a Martin County Commissioner for eight years. At an age when many seniors shed responsibilities, she accepted gubernatorial appointments ranging from 2 to 14 years, serving on civic and oversight boards. In addition, she continues to donate her time to community organizations, many of which she has supported for decades.

2017 Nominees

2016 Winners

Advocacy

Nathaniel P. Reed, from the Town of Jupiter Island, won a 2016 Sage Award in Advocacy for his efforts in preserving Florida’s natural resources. Nat Reed founded both the Everglades Foundation and 1000 Friends of Florida, and advocates for State and Federal Funding to repair and restore the Florida Everglades system.

Community Service Award

Anne Thompson Schafer, from Jensen Beach, won a 2016 Sage Award in Community Service for her work with women and children in Martin County. Specifically, Anne founded “Women’s Power Lunch of Stuart” - an organization and monthly luncheon that continues over 15 years later!

Faith-Based Service Award

Reverend Allison Spencer, from Stuart, received a Sage Award in Faith-Based Service for her ministry at St. Monica’s Episcopal Church in East Stuart. This award recognizes the servant leadership Reverend Spencer continues to demonstrate after 19 years of service to this poor congregation.

Healthcare & Health Services Award

Dr. Nathaniel P. McParland received a 2016 Sage Award in Healthcare & Health Services. Under the leadership of Dr. McParland, the Retirement Research Foundation allocates more than $6 million annually for research, training, advocacy, and direct service projects that improve the quality of life for older Americans.

Human Services Award

Jean Peraino won a Sage Award in Human Services. Since 1998, Jean has volunteered in Adult Day Health Care at the Council on Aging, committing her heart, time, and resources, to help in the expansion of the program. Over 12 years, Jean helped raise over half a million dollars for the agency, plus an additional $50,000 to remodel Adult Day Health Care.

Professional Services Award

Evans Crary, Jr. won a Sage Award in Professional Services. Through his commitment to continuing Frances Langford’s philanthropic interests as her foundation’s Trustee, sizable contributions were made to key non-profit organizations to change the face, substance and scope of their charitable work.

Service to the Arts Award

Vianne Nichols won a Sage Award for Service to the Arts, for her over 25 years of leadership and commitment to the Arts Council and Arts Foundation of Martin County. Through her leadership, Vianne allocated over $250,000 to artists and arts-related programs, projects, scholarships, and internships in Martin County.

Charlie Kane Award

In honor of Charlie Kane (center), the Council awarded Deane B. Blazie (right) with the 2016 Charlie Kane Award for his exceptional commitment to helping the blind community, worldwide, through increasing support, advocacy, care, and technology.