Orange Circle Awards to be Presented March 22

Members of the group OttoTHON have raised more than $100,000 through their philanthropic efforts.

Syracuse University elevates the conversation around philanthropy and honors some of the most altruistic members of the SU community at the Phanstiel Lecture and Orange Circle Awards—the signature events of Philanthropy Week 2016. The celebration will take place Tuesday, March 22, at 4 p.m. in 304 Schine Student Center. The lecture will be immediately followed by the Orange Circle Award ceremony and reception.

The celebration begins with the fifth annual Phanstiel Lecture, featuring Jim Carrick G’98, CEO of LPA Software Solutions and a member of the Syracuse University iSchool Advisory Board. Through his involvement on several boards, Carrick has shown a personal commitment to serving his community and will encourage others to find their own ways of giving back.

Introduced in 2009, the Orange Circle Award honors individuals who go above and beyond in their daily lives and who possess a deep responsibility for extraordinary philanthropic acts. These are not limited to financial support, but also include volunteerism—those acts that better society through contributions of time and talent.

This year’s Orange Circle Award recipients are:

OttoTHON is a student-run philanthropic organization that strives to raise awareness and funds for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, a member of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The organization’s main focus is the annual dance marathon. They work year-round to plan community events, fundraising nights at local businesses and social media contests to help raise funds. Donations to OttoTHON help pay for expenses not covered by insurance, provide support services and help the hospital stay up to date. In one year, OttoTHON raised more than $152,000, far surpassing its goal.

Tumay Tunur

Tumay Tunur has taught numerous courses in biology, neuroscience and kinesiology. An accomplished dancer, she uses her skills to teach both the young and the elderly, with a special focus on people with Parkinson’s disease. Tunur combines her research interests with her dance expertise by leading the Moving Through Possibilities program. The program aims to engage the community in movement and promote healthy aging. She collaborates with Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG), the founding company for the world-renowned Dance for Parkinson’s Disease program, in research projects. She continues her professional development training with MMDG and is in the process of getting certified as a Dance for PD® instructor.

Matthew Zeller G’06

Matthew Zeller G’06 is co-founder of No One Left Behind, a Truman National Security Fellow and an adjunct fellow at the American Security Project. He is the author of Watches Without Time (Just World Books, 2012), which chronicles his experience serving as an embedded combat advisor with the Afghan security forces in Ghazni, Afghanistan, in 2008. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Hamilton College, and master’s degrees in public administration and international relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

To celebrate Philanthropy Week, visit http://yourmark.syr.edu and tell us what you do to make a difference in the world.