The Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award was created in 1969 to honor the late Bert Polsky, president of the former Polsky’s Department Store and founding trustee of Akron Community Foundation.
Each year, the community foundation presents the Polsky Humanitarian Award to the individual or couple who best exemplifies Bert Polsky's selfless dedication to humanitarian causes in Akron. Honorees come from a variety of backgrounds, from business executives to lifelong volunteers.
Akron Marathon founders and civic visionaries Steve and Jeannine Marks are the 2022 recipients of Akron Community Foundation’s Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award.
Since founding the Akron Marathon in 2003, Steve and Jeannine have grown the race into a world-class event that has generated $133 million in economic impact for the Greater Akron community.
Steve and Jeannine were honored for their philanthropic leadership at the Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award Dinner on Oct. 11, 2022.
A committee of past Polsky Award honorees reviews nominations from the community annually using the following criteria:
Since 1969, Akron Community Foundation has recognized philanthropic leaders across all sectors of the community, from rubber industry magnate M.G. O’Neil to renowned civil rights leader Vernon L. Odom Sr. to community leader Dorothy O. Jackson. To celebrate these esteemed Bert A. Polsky Humanitarian Award honorees, we created a virtual presentation reflecting on the history of philanthropy in our community, told through the lives of our past recipients.