Joplin Regional Community Foundation honors Philanthropic Achievement Award winners

Roger Nomer, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read

Apr. 12—The Joplin Regional Community Foundation gave out its Philanthropic Achievement Awards Thursday night at its Celebration of Philanthropy Banquet at the Ron Richard Athletic Center on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.

The inaugural honoree, Cynthia Schwab, was named in 2020 but was unable to be honored at the time because of the pandemic.

This year's honorees were Bob and Dot Willcoxon.

The honorees showed outstanding and sustained charitable achievement in the community, said Logan Stanley, president of the board for the Joplin Regional Community Foundation.

"Without hesitation or question, Joplin is infinitely and forever better for the gifts of Cynthia Schwab and Dot and Bob Willcoxon," Stanley said. "Their greatest gift, however, could be the leadership example they have provided to so many that have followed and will follow in years to come."

The philanthropic spirit, demonstrated during the 2011 Joplin tornado, still reverberates through the community, Stanley said.

Cynthia Schwab

In honoring Schwab, Stanley said that for more than 40 years Pro Musica has been providing the highest caliber chamber musicians free to the community. They've also held a variety of concerts and educational outreaches to local students to foster interest and enjoyment of classical music.

"Providing such quality events at no charge is a significant impact on the cultural and educational landscape of Joplin," Stanley said. "That significant impact is Cynthia Schwab, the founder and artistic director of Pro Musica."

He said Schwab is a supporter of Missouri Southern State University, having served on its board of regents, and is a member of the Lantern Society. Among her numerous awards was the Missouri Art Award in 1999 from the Missouri Arts Council. The Manhattan native is also a passionate New York Rangers fan, he noted.

"I've always told people the reason I started Pro Musica is because I wanted to hear the music," Schwab said. "I turned around and all the sudden there were other people who wanted to hear the music also. It's been a very rewarding and interesting path."

Schwab credited those who helped her out as well as her parents, who started her out volunteering at a small library when she was young.

Schwab has always been interested in things that involve the growth of Joplin and believes it was incumbent on people to do more than just sit and talk, she said.

Bob and Dot Willcoxon

Listing the organizations Bob and Dot Willcoxon have worked with was impressive, Stanley said. These include Lafayette House, the Joplin Community Clinic, Joplin Public Library and Ozark Public Television.

Dot is currently on the Missouri Southern Foundation Board of Directors, leading the philanthropy committee. Most recently, they provided $1 million to MSSU for the Lions Forward Campaign to help with the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center, the Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit, and more.

"The Willcoxons are pillars of our community in every aspect of their lives," Stanley said. "We are so lucky for you to have chosen Joplin as to where you live, worked, served and raised your family."

The Willcoxons moved to Joplin in 1971 for Bob to start his practice as a thoracic general surgeon and knew quickly it would be their home, Dot said Thursday.

Giving is a family tradition. Dot's father, Fred Bramlage, was the benefactor of K-State's Bramlage Coliseum.

"When Bob and I were growing up, both of our parents instilled in us that if you're going to live in a community, you should be part of that community," she said. "Whether you give financially or by serving on committees, you try to make it a better place to live."

She also said she was pleased to share the night with Schwab because the Pro Musica board was the first she served on in Joplin.

"She really did bring Joplin on the map with all the musicians from all over the United States," Willcoxon said.

The Joplin Regional Community Foundation was founded in 2006 as a spinoff of the Southwest Missouri Community Foundation to build a better community through collaboration and charitable giving, said Pete Ramsour, JRCF foundation manager.

Under the Joplin umbrella, Ramsour said they currently have assets of about $14 million with 65 nonprofit agency partners. On May 14, they'll have their Philanthropic Society grant luncheon. After that luncheon, they'll have given over $1.1 million in local grants.