Jay and Orsia Young Named 2nd Ever Harford County “Outstanding Volunteer Fundraisers”

From the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Maryland – Harford County Chapter:

Albert J. A. “Jay” Young, Esq., and Orsia F. Young, Esq., have received the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Maryland – Harford County Chapter’s second-ever “Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser” award, presented at 7th Annual Harford County Celebration of Philanthropy, held on Thursday, April 11, 2012, at the Maryland Golf & Country Clubs in Bel Air, Maryland.

The Harford County event was created to bestow deserved recognition upon members of the community “whose exceptional generosity demonstrates outstanding civic and charitable responsibility,” according to the official program of the celebration. It was attended by approximately 200 individuals representing the Harford County professional philanthropic community, non-profit fundraisers, and representatives from recipient agencies, institutions and foundations, as well as by fundraising professionals from across the Baltimore metropolitan area.

In speaking about what the Youngs, a married couple who met in Law School in the early 1980s, have accomplished, Tamara Zavislan, Co-Chair of the AFP-Maryland 2012 selection committee, stated that “the breadth of what Jay and Orsia have done is just amazing!”

Zavislan, herself the Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Harford County, then added that “when I think of the efforts they participate in — from land management, to equestrian societies, to supporting the Hospital, to education committees, to the Women’s Giving Circle — it’s clear they’ve touched just about every group in Harford County, reaching out to hundreds of individuals who have become donors, with effective communication and enthusiasm!”

Co-chair Kathy Casey, President of Kathy Casey Consulting, agreed. “There’s giving, and then there’s helping and encouraging others to give,” she explained. “In the case of Jay and Orsia Young, we wanted to recognize an extraordinary pair who creatively motivated and encouraged giving from others, and that means giving not only money, but also time and wisdom,” she stated. “We are creating a network that works, building and celebrating philanthropy here in Harford County,” Casey said, “and that means finding and honoring those who are not only committed to the effort, but who have enlarged the result county-wide, by engaging and encouraging philanthropists of all ages,” Casey stated.

Discussing the ceremony, Jay Young declared himself to be “deeply moved” by the honor. “They say that the three operative concepts in philanthropy are the giving of time, treasure and talent,” he stated. “Our job, so to speak, was to make sure that all three were represented in the groups we worked with, to the greatest extent possible,” Young adds.

The husband and wife team were co-Chairs of the Upper Chesapeake Cancer Center $100,000 Donation Level, a task that “took most of our time this past year,” stated Orsia Young, “but the results are worth it.”

“The new Cancer Center will be truly transformational for the community,” stated Jay Young. “This new center will bring the level of medicine practiced in Harford County up to world class, in technology, resources, personnel and results,” he added.

In introducing Jay and Orsia Young to those assembled for the ceremony, Augustus F. “Gus” Brown, who was the first-ever recipient of the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser Award in 2012, reviewed their biographies and noted Jay and Orsia Young’s very significant achievements throughout “lives dedicated to excellence in public service, to education, and to their community.” Gus Brown and Jay Young are both principals in the law firm of Brown, Brown & Young, P.A.

“Jay even agreed to participate in ‘Dancing for the Arts,’ ” Gus Brown quipped, “Although that was certainly not the most accomplished ‘step’ he ever took! Seriously, though,” Brown added, “Jay and Orsia Young define the word ‘liaison’ — connecting donors, institutions, gifts, talents, advice and where it is needed. It’s a rare example of a perfect pair, operating in harness together at the highest level,” Brown stated, “and Harford County is a better place because of the work of Jay and Orsia Young!”

Beginning in 2007, the Harford County chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored one family as Outstanding Philanthropists. In 2009, the separate honor of Outstanding Business Philanthropist was added, and in 2012 the third honor, that of Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser was created. Past recipients include the Ralph & Shirley Klein Family Foundation (2007), the Dresher Family (2008), the Family of Walter and Betty Ward (2009), the Cook Family and Harford Bank (2010), the Lozinak Family, Harford Mutual Insurance Company (2011), Dr. Richard P. and Esther S. Street, Jr., and Family, and APG Federal Credit Union (2012). Other 2013 Honorees included The Arena Club and a Special Remembrance of William Harloe.

For more information about Albert J. A. “Jay” Young and the Law Firm of Brown, Brown & Young, please visit http://lawbrown.com.