Alyce Kemp DeWitt Award
At the Spring 2008 Community Assembly, United Way of the Midlands named Morris "Moss" Blachman as the 2007 Alyce Kemp DeWitt award winner in recognition of his extensive work as a volunteer on behalf of our community.
Moss was an architect of United Way of the Midlands' Community Impact model. He contributed many hours and his deep community and organizational development experience to the restructuring of United Way of the Midlands' investment model.
"He helped shape the councils, kept us focused on targeted investments, kept our attention on agency and community capacity as essential to the planning and most of all, understood and promoted United Way of the Midlands as the place for community problem solving," said Anita Floyd, Vice President for Community Impact at United Way of the Midlands. "He helped shape and implement a new vision for United Way."
Blachman is the Assistant Dean for CME & Faculty Development at the USC School of Medicine, and has been a United Way of the Midlands board member since 2001, serving on four committees during his tenure.
"Sometimes board members coast through their last years of service. This was not the case with Morris. Our Alyce Kemp DeWitt award winner continued to step it up through his very last term by seeking new challenges like serving as chair of the Certification Committee," said Floyd.
Under his guidance, the committee revised certification and re-certification standards as well as policies and procedures for the committee's work with United Way of the Midlands partners and potential partners. He also helped develop a new funding mechanism—Organizational Excellence awards—and chaired the initial review and award process.
"I have a very strong belief in community, and I have a very strong belief that all of us are our brothers and sisters keepers," Blachman said. "I honestly believe that my life is enriched when I help to enrich others."
Watch the video story of how Moss Blachman LIVES UNITED.
About the Alyce Kemp DeWitt award
In 1994, the Beacon of Hope Award was created to recognize a volunteer serving the United Way of the Midlands. Alyce Kemp DeWitt was the first recipient of the Beacon of Hope award in recognition of her commitment to the Speakers Bureau. DeWitt made more than 300 presentations to civic and employee groups during 1994. In 1995, the award was renamed the "Alyce Kemp DeWitt Award" to recognize a volunteer whose creativity and passion have made a measurable impact.
