Each year, the Willmar Community Foundation celebrates the generosity of our community and recognizes individuals who have fostered passion and vision for philanthropy in Kandiyohi County.
Award in Philanthropy
The Award in Philanthropy recognizes the efforts of an individual, couple, or family who have significantly contributed to the field of philanthropy in the region—either through their personal philanthropy, their work as a volunteer, or through their work as a professional in advising their clients about philanthropy.
The Award in Philanthropy was created in an effort to honor those who work to build a better community and inspire the next generation of philanthropic leaders.
The Marv Otto Award
The Foundation also established the Marv Otto Award after his death in 2009 and honored the first recipient in 2012. Marv Otto, a well-known Atwater resident and business leader, established endowments at the WACF to benefit the people and communities he loved. He was the kind person who would stop by the grocery store, give the clerk $100 for a certain person who he knew needed it, and ask to remain anonymous.
The Award is made to recognize an individual or couple who personifies Marv Otto’s spirit and strengthens the community with an endowment or irrevocable estate gift.
Community Builder Award
The Community Builder Award recognizes the efforts of a company/business, an organization, or a professional advisor that has significantly contributed to the field of philanthropy in the region.
The Innovative Impact Award
The Innovative Impact Award is given to recognize an individual, couple/family, organization, group or professional advisor that is innovatively engaging the broader community as volunteers, creatively encouraging charitable giving and using those resources to meet unmet needs for Kandiyohi County residents.
