Kenzo Kawanabe Named National Philanthropy Day Outstanding Volunteer

Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP is pleased to announce that the Colorado Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals has named Kenzo Kawanabe as the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Volunteer Award. Mr. Kawanabe, a partner in the firm’s Trial Department, will be recognized alongside other National Philanthropy Day honorees at a special luncheon in Denver this afternoon.

Presented annually, the Outstanding Volunteer Award specifically recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in volunteer service that yields significant positive outcomes for the community. Mr. Kawanabe’s pro bono legal representation and volunteer work have impacted lives and united the legal community through a call to action for facilitating access to justice for the underserved and underprivileged in Colorado. “Kenzo is someone whose passion for helping those in need inspires others to do the same,” said DGS co-managing partner Chad Williams. “We are proud that Kenzo’s dedication to the community is receiving the recognition it deserves.”

A former member of the DGS Executive Committee, Mr. Kawanabe presently serves as the firm’s official pro bono partner. His involvement in the legal and broader communities is as vast as it is varied. Mr. Kawanabe is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and teaches at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. As well as serving as board chair for the Boettcher Foundation, he serves on the boards of Colorado Legal Services, the Colorado Lawyers Committee, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (Advisory Board), the Barton Institute for Philanthropy and Social Enterprise, and the Sakura Foundation. He is a past board chair of The Denver Foundation, one of the largest community foundations in the country, and has held leadership positions with various local and national bar associations, including as the first general counsel for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. The leadership roles that Mr. Kawanabe has held extend to a number of other organizations, such as the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, the Community Resource Center, and the Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities.

Mr. Kawanabe is committed to fostering a community and profession where inclusivity and altruism can thrive. “I am truly humbled by this recognition,” said Mr. Kawanabe. “As a fourth-generation Coloradan, what makes this state so special has always been its people. I believe that I have a duty to pay forward the generosity of others, and I know the return on these community investments is tenfold.”

More information about the National Philanthropy Awards can be found here.