Annual Awards and Gala honors outstanding individuals in both business and philanthropy in Atlanta
ATLANTA – April 8, 2025 – PRLog — The Foundation of Wesley Woods has announced the honorees for its annual Awards which will be presented at the 36th annual Heroes, Saints & Legends Gala on September 18, 2025, at Flourish in Buckhead. The esteemed event honors individuals in business and philanthropy who have enriched Atlanta’s community through a lifetime of achievement, leadership, and service.
The distinguished honorees for 2025 are:
Doug Hooker, the retired Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission and current Special Professor of Practice at Georgia State University’s Urban Studies Institute, and Board Chair of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, among others.
Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker, the City Attorney for Atlanta and former County Attorney for Fulton County and administrative partner at Johnson & Freeman, LLC. A trailblazer in the legal community, she was the first person of color elected President of the State Bar of Georgia.
Nancy Gordy Simms, chairman of the board and retired Chief Executive Officer of The Varsity Restaurants, Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame inductee and emeritus member of the Reinhardt University Board of Trustees.
The Awards and Gala plays a vital role in supporting over 1,800 older adults residing in Wesley Woods residential communities across North Georgia. The Gala’s sponsors and attendees provide essential funding for charitable care, pastoral care, and innovative wellness programming. Since its inception in 1990, the event has honored 117 exemplary leaders and raised over $8.7 million for the Foundation of Wesley Woods.
Diane Vaughan, president of the Foundation of Wesley Woods, praised the distinguished trio for their expansive careers in Atlanta’s public and private sectors. “Patrise Hooker’s outstanding service to our city and the legal profession, along with Doug’s impactful work in urban development and public policy, and Nancy Simm’s legacy in hospitality truly embody the ideals of our annual honors,” said Vaughan.
Vaughan also highlighted the breadth of their civic contribution, including Hooker’s board leadership spanning the Atlanta Housing Council, the Fox Theatre, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Perkins-Hooker’s leadership as Board Chair of the Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless and the Emory Business School Alumni Association, and Simms’ board leadership at Reinhardt University and Feed My Lambs Christian Schools, and as trustee of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, formerly Scottish Rite.
Corporate sponsorships for the 2025 Gala are currently available, with individual tickets available in July. “Corporate sponsorships play a crucial role in the success of Heroes, Saints & Legends (https://www.wesleywoods.org/
The event will take place on Thursday, September 18, at Flourish by Legendary Events, located at 3143 Maple Drive, Atlanta, GA. For more information about sponsorship, the 2025 honorees, and the Gala, please visit www.wesleywoods.org/
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