Last night, United Way Miami celebrated its 100th anniversary with the annual Tocqueville Society Grand Reception. The event honored philanthropists in the community, with Jo and John Sumberg receiving the Tocqueville Award for Outstanding Philanthropy. According to WSVN, the Sumbergs have supported United Way Miami since 1997, particularly contributing to early learning initiatives. John Sumberg has also held various leadership roles within the organization and served on several local nonprofit boards.
During the reception, John Sumberg expressed his gratitude, saying, "There are so many people in our community that do incredible work throughout the community, and we are humbled that United Way selected us for this honor," in a statement obtained by WSVN. Jo Sumberg added, "It's very special to be recognized by the family of United Way. We know so many people there; we've been involved for many years, and we see it," and further expressed appreciation for United Way's work.
Symeria Hudson, CEO of United Way, told WSVN, "We are so grateful to the Tocqueville Society for not only being contributors and donors to our cause but also being supporters and helping us further the work at Miami."
As shared on United Way Miami's Instagram, the event also recognized emerging philanthropists like Michael Gold, who received the United Way Miami Next-Gen Philanthropist Award for his leadership. Posthumous Legacy of Philanthropy award to late Jack Lowell.
"Other people can support United Way in many ways. As simply as coming out and giving some time and effort, blood, sweat, and tears. United Way does a great job of identifying the problems in the community and working with other organizations to solve those," Andy Ansin, CEO of WSVN’s parent company, Sunbeam Television told WSVN.
The event also recognized corporate sponsors like Van Cleef & Arpels and City National Bank of Florida for their support, showing the community-wide effort to strengthen Miami's philanthropic landscape.
