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HOUSTON PHILANTHROPIST DAVID WEEKLEY TO RECEIVE
WILLIAM E. SIMON PRIZE
Will Be Honored in Dallas at 2015 Annual Meeting of The
Philanthropy Roundtable
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Houston-area homebuilder
and philanthropist David Weekley has been named the
recipient of the 2015
William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership, an
annual award administered by The Philanthropy Roundtable
that highlights the power of philanthropy to promote
positive change and to inspire others to support charities
that achieve genuine results. The prize is intended to honor
living philanthropists who have shown exemplary leadership
through their own charitable giving, either directly or
through foundations they have created.
“This is a prestigious award that I am honored to accept. I
consistently strive to do something positive with everything
that I have been blessed with, and to be recognized for that
effort is truly a privilege. I am humbled to be mentioned
among the recipients of this award,” Weekley said.
“My father took very seriously the responsibility of being a
good steward. David Weekley fulfills that ideal by taking
great care in his charitable giving and setting a standard
of excellence for other philanthropists to follow. I know my
father would be proud to have him receive this award,” said
William E. Simon, Jr., co-chairman of the William E. Simon
Foundation.
Weekley is a passionate supporter of programs that develop
character, from the Boy Scouts to the Positive Coaching
Alliance to Young Life. An active player in education
reform, Weekley supports KIPP, YES Prep, and Cristo Rey
schools. He is a community leader, serving on the boards of
professional and nonprofit organizations throughout the
Houston area. Weekley gives not only of his wealth but also
of himself.
“David Weekley is the consummate example of selfless giving.
For more than two decades, he has lived by the principle of
donating 50 percent of both his money and his time to
charitable service. His commitment to strengthening our free
society is the personification of the ideals the Simon Prize
is meant to honor,” added Adam Meyerson, president of The
Philanthropy Roundtable.
Weekley founded a homebuilding company at the age of 23,
with a capital investment from his brother, Dick. Since
1976, Weekley Homes has grown to become the largest
privately held homebuilder in America, expanding to 20
metropolitan areas and closing over $1.3 billion worth of
new homes in 2014. As president of the David Weekley Family
Foundation, he practices a venture-philanthropy model of
investing treasure, time, and talent to grow nonprofits and
social enterprises serving the poor and disadvantaged. The
foundation’s international portfolio concentrates on
improving education, health, and economic opportunity, with
a focus on helping young, innovative organizations expand
their proven models to reduce global poverty.
Weekley will be honored on Thursday, October 15, at the Four
Seasons Resort and Club Dallas in Las Colinas, Texas during
a special lunch at the 2015
Annual Meeting of
The Philanthropy Roundtable. The prize includes a $250,000
award, payable to a charity designated by the winner.
The William E. Simon Foundation created the William
E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership to
further Bill Simon Sr.’s ideals and principles of personal
responsibility, resourcefulness, volunteerism, scholarship,
individual freedom, faith in God, and helping people to help
themselves. Previous winners of the William E. Simon Prize
for Philanthropic Leadership include Jon Huntsman Sr., Eli
and Edythe Broad, Bernie Marcus, Charles Koch, Roger Hertog,
Phil and Nancy Anschutz, Dr. Ben Carson, David Robinson, the
late Sir John Templeton, and the late John Walton.
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The Philanthropy Roundtable is
America’s leading network of charitable donors working to
strengthen our free society, uphold donor intent, and
protect the freedom to give. Our members include individual
philanthropists, families, and private foundations. |