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Tom Golisano Receives First Ever St. Luke Philanthropy Award from Ave Maria University Law School in Florida

Tom Golisano accepts the St. Luke Award for Distinguished Philanthropy from Ave Maria School of Law

Tom Golisano accepts the St. Luke Award for Distinguished Philanthropy from Ave Maria School of Law

NAPLES, FL --March 2, 2019-- On Saturday, March 2, 2019, Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media, author of “Reviving America: How Repealing Obamacare, Replacing the Tax Code and Reforming The Fed will Restore Hope and Prosperity” and a Republican Presidential candidate spoke at the Law School’s Signature Event at an exclusive, private club in Naples hosted by Tom Monaghan, and John and Billie Resnick.

For the first time, the law school presented the St. Luke Award for Distinguished Philanthropy to Mr. Tom Golisano, an entrepreneur and civic leader, and to Mr. Patrick Adams, attorney, public servant, and entrepreneur for their decades of generous philanthropic efforts.

Each year Ave Maria School of Law will present this award to one or more individuals who, through their philanthropic endeavors, enrich the lives of others and represent the virtues demonstrated by St. Luke for stewardship and love of those in need.

All proceeds of the event benefitted the Ave Maria Law Student Scholarship Fund.

This academic year, Ave Maria Law launched a new program, “Profiles in Ethical Leadership,” a series of roundtable presentations on the importance of leadership, morality and ethics in business and the law. The law school hosts presentations for students and faculty on campus by distinguished CEOs and leaders, and Steve Forbes is the culminating speaker. Speakers kicking off this program included Theo Etzel, Chairman of the Board of Conditioned Air and Naples renowned philanthropist, Myra Janco Daniels. 

Ave Maria School of Law was founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1999 and in 2009 relocated to Naples, Florida. Ave Law was named the best Catholic Law School in the U.S. for the devout three times by The National Jurist’s PreLaw Magazine. Ave Law was ranked #1 Most Diverse Law School by PreLaw. The Princeton Review named Ave Law one of the nation's most outstanding law schools since 2005. The Law School was ranked number one on the “Most Conservative Students” list in the book. Ave Maria Law has earned the 2017, 2018 & 2019 Military Friendly® School designations by Victory Media. Ave Maria School of Law is licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License Number 4007 and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. 

About Tom Golisano
B. Thomas Golisano — entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader — is the founder and chairman of the Board of Paychex, Inc., headquartered in Rochester, New York. Mr. Golisano served as Paychex’s president and chief executive officer from 1971, when he founded the company, until October 2004. Mr. Golisano has demonstrated an ongoing dedication and commitment to a variety of civic issues and organizations. In 1985 he launched his first philanthropic endeavor by establishing the Golisano Foundation, which awards grants to organizations providing opportunities for those with intellectual disabilities. His personal philanthropic contributions to hospitals, educational institutions and other organizations have totaled approximately $300 million.

March 2019


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