Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s Post

Thank you to the more than 200 members and donors who joined us for BRAF’s 2025 Annual Meeting! From celebrating last year’s milestones to unveiling future initiatives, welcoming new board members, and honoring community leaders, the evening was a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together. During the evening, outgoing chair Jeffrey Koonce passed the gavel to the incoming chair Tom Adamek, who announced our awards for the evening. The John W. Barton Sr. Awards for Excellence in Nonprofit Management were presented to Dr. Libbie Sonnier, CEO of the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, and Lucas Spielfogel, CEO of the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition. Pheriche Perkins, Executive Director of the Point Coupee Early Childhood Coalition, was named a Rising Star in nonprofit management. Sidney M. Blitzer, Jr., a partner at Butler Snow LLP, was named the Champion for Giving, the inaugural award for professional advisors, and the Marcia Kaplan Kantrow Baton Rouge Visionary Award was posthumously bestowed to Brace B. Godfrey, Jr. Brace's son, Brace Godfrey, III, accepted the award on his behalf. Following the award presentations, CEO and President Chris Meyer delivered the President’s Report, providing updates on the organization’s progress and setting the stage for the year ahead. The work of the Foundation would not be possible without the support of our members, donors, and community partners. We are thankful to all who collaborated with BRAF in 2024, and we’re looking forward to another year of collaboration and creating a lasting impact together! 💙 #PartnershipMakesItPossible #BRAF