Catholic Community Services of Utah celebrated its annual Humanitarian Awards Dinner on Oct. 27 at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The event brought together hundreds of people to recognize individuals and organizations dedicated to serving those in need.
The evening included awards for several honorees, including the Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation, Goldman Sachs, Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, and the Amy and Aaron Bentley family. Rick Boland, president of the CCS Board of Trustees, delivered the president’s address during the event, which included a remembrance of Pamela Atkinson, a longtime humanitarian and community advocate who died on Oct. 10.
The Bentleys received the Refugee Foster Family of the Year Award for more than nine years of service as refugee foster parents. They have welcomed five young people from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Afghanistan, and Brazil into their home. Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Church was honored with the Parish of the Year Award for its support of CCS programs through volunteer service and donations, such as monthly volunteering at the St. Vincent de Paul dining hall in Salt Lake City and providing backpacks for students in the Ogden area.
Goldman Sachs received the Partner of the Year Award for its sustained commitment to CCS programs in Utah. Over the past five years, the company's Utah team has involved employees in serving on the CCS Board of Directors and providing community development grants. The Clark & Christine Ivory Foundation received the Lifetime of Service Award for its philanthropic contributions. Over the past five years, the foundation has provided 363 grants to 164 recipients, totaling $38 million, to support organizations addressing community needs.
Additional recognitions at the dinner included Tyler Lundell receiving the CCS Employee of the Year award. Emran Safari and Issaka Hitimana were honored as scholarship recipients sponsored by the Jerry and Shari Seiner Foundation. Father John Evans, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, represented Bishop Oscar A. Solis at the event.
