Honoring Philanthropy Award Recipients
The Legacy Society Annual Luncheon is an opportunity to recognize and thank some of Prisma Health-Upstate’s most generous donors – members of the Legacy Society – who have built their legacies by making a planned gift, a provision in their estate plan, or an endowment gift of $25,000 or more to benefit the Prisma Health-Upstate Foundation. As part of the luncheon, the Upstate Foundation presents its annual philanthropy awards: the B.K. Bryan Spirit of Philanthropy Award, the Be the Difference Award, and the Spirit of Community Award.
Sargent Foundation
B.K. Bryan Spirit of Philanthropy Award
Founded in 1953, the Sargent Foundation has advanced health care and education across South Carolina through its partnership with Prisma Health and USC School of Medicine Greenville. Its support has funded impactful initiatives, including the Medical Experience Academy, the Martha Ann and Hugh Clarke Endowed Scholarship, simulation center innovations, lectureships, student research, the Sargent Foundation Dean’s Suite, and the Sargent-Wilson Wellness Center at the new Prisma Behavioral Health Hospital.
The B.K. Bryan Spirit of Philanthropy award was established to honor the memory and kind generosity of community philanthropist, William King Bryan. The award acknowledges individuals or families whose philanthropic hearts shine in all they do.
Karen Lommel, DO
Be the Difference Award
Karen Lommel, DO currently serves as the inaugural Robert A. Jolley Jr. Endowed Chair for Psychiatry and Community Health, as well as the medical director for the Marshall I. Pickens psychiatric hospital at Prisma Health. Her compassion, curiosity, and commitment fuel her work, and her invaluable partnership helps forge a new path for behavioral health support in the Upstate and beyond. Congratulations Dr. Lommel!
The Prisma Health Upstate Foundation established the “Be the Difference” award in 2021 to honor a Prisma Health clinician and leader who understands the impact of engagement and transformational giving.
The Halter Family
Spirit of Community Award
The Halter family has led Run4Life for 19 years this November—honoring the legacy of Caine Halter and bringing the community together in the fight against cancer.
Held each year on the first Saturday in November, this family-friendly event draws nearly 1,000 participants annually. What began as a lung cancer awareness race now supports programs for all cancer types across our community.
The Spirit of Community Award was established in 2024 to recognize individuals, corporate partners, and visionary organizations whose collaborative efforts and generosity support the Prisma Health-Upstate Foundation’s purpose to create a brighter future of care for our community.
Past B.K. Bryan Spirit of Philanthropy Award Recipients
2010 Dr. and Mrs. William DeLoache
2011 The William Bradshaw Family
2014 Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Walters
2015 Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Dempsey
2017 Dr. and Mrs. H. Harlan Stone
2020 Mr. and Mrs. James “Duff” Bruce III and Ms. Jolley Bruce Christman
2021 McCain Childress
2022 Lisa and Roger Stevens
2023 The John R. and M. Margarite Davis Foundation
2023 The Glenn Foundation
2024 Elizabeth H. DuBose, DPT, CBIS-AP
Past Be the Difference Award Recipients
2021 Larry Gluck, MD
2022 Robin Newton LaCroix, MD
2022 Taylor D. Stathes, MS, CTRS, CCLS
2023 Brenda J. Thames, EdD
2024 Kelly Willenberg