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United Way Volunteer John Geppert Receives Pro Bono Award from Morris County Bar Association
November 17, 2005

United Way of Morris County recently nominated John Geppert of Schwartz Simon Edelstein Celso & Kessler for the Pro Bono Award from the Morris County Bar Association Board.  Geppert has volunteered with United Way of Morris County for over 20 years, and currently serves as the Volunteer Chair of the Help for People in Crisis Action Team. 

John Franklin, Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Morris County, was honored to introduce Geppert at the awards ceremony on November 17, 2005 at Brooklake Country Club in Florham Park.  Below is an excerpt from John Franklin's introduction of John Geppert:

"In order to appreciate the accomplishments of John Geppert, I'll have to tell you a little about the organization to which John Geppert has devoted a great deal of his free time over the past twenty years.

The United Way you remember the one that John started in back in the mid 80's was very focused on being a good steward of your money – distributing funds to good organizations that provided human services for the community.  We created a network of services that were essential to a healthy community. At that time, we were engaged in raising funds for a large number of non-profit human service agencies – building a network of support for the community.  It served us well.

Well, the world has changed and so have we.  In fact we have changed quite lot over the past twenty years.  And John Geppert was there with us all the way.

The new United Way, which John helped create, is a strategically focused organization.  We target critical issues, understand them in depth, take a good idea, and develop a strategic plan to change people's lives.  This new United Way is results oriented.  We're measuring ourselves by how effective we have been in changing people's lives.  We're working to leverage resources and get a better return on our investment.  We're creating collaborations and with that comes a lot more efficiency and effectiveness.

Whenever I invite someone to consider a position on our board the first thing they ask is what's the commitment?  How long?  How many meetings?  How much time?

The basics answer is one or two three-year terms and six two-hour meetings a year.  But of course if you want to make a difference; if you want to change people's lives you have to get involved – you have to get engaged.

Well that is what John has done.  Over the past twenty years John has been in countless meetings, served on numerous committees and  worked on many projects to bring about change to the organization and the community. His work has made this community a better place for all of us.

Over the years, John has chaired our Allocations Committee, the Community Initiatives Committee, our Nominating Committee, and currently he serves as the Chair of the Help for People in Crisis Action Team.

He also played a vital role on the change plan team and the change plan implementation process that brought us from the old United Way to the new – that was a two year long process – at least.

Moreover, his reputation for integrity and ethics has resulted in John becoming our designated contact person for the Conscientious Employee Protection Act ("Whistleblower Act").

And of course, he is also a valued member of United Way's Board and Executive Committee.

Finally, I would like to describe John's work as Chair of the Help for People in Crisis Action Team.  Over the past several years, this team has had to develop strategies for serving the victim families of the September 11th catastrophe, and the families of our servicemen and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Most recently, he has had to serve victims of hurricanes that have plagued our southern coasts. 

This is real work. It is tough stuff.  It's the job of investing donor dollars wisely for the sake of us all.  It means reviewing proposals from many agencies. It means understanding critical issues in depth.  It means building relationships, developing strategies and implementing plans for action.  The goal is changing lives and creating long-term impact in the conditions that affect people here in Morris County.

It takes a very special person, a leader among leaders to carry out the roles associated with being a volunteer at United Way. John Geppert has proven himself to be such a leader.

John is a man of character and of genuine good will.  He is a team player, a leader.  He is supportive, cares deeply about the community, and is always fair.  He exemplifies the essence of professionalism.  The board and staff of United Way of Morris County hold him in the highest regard. 

We are pleased to have this opportunity to nominate John Geppert for the Pro Bono Award.  This community would not be the same without him and I believe we all owe him a great deal of gratitude for the contribution indeed the sacrifice he has made on our behalf."