Joanne Hunter: The Face of Philanthropy

Joanne Hunter: The Face of Philanthropy Building a case for Joanne Hunter’s dedication to philanthropy is straightforward. She simply loves people. Add to that a “can do” work ethic, high expectations and a gift for diplomacy, and her passion translates into an extraordinary commitment to Little Company of Mary and the community at large.
Few could imagine, knowing the Hunters’ dedication to community, that empty nesters Joanne and husband Jim had concerns about making new friends after their 1992 move to Southern California from Lafayette, where they raised their son Kory and daughter Mandy. The Manhattan Beach Sandpipers soon offered Joanne the opportunity for friendship and philanthropy as a volunteer on LCM’s Partners for Healthy Kids mobile pediatric van. While on the van, Joanne honed her Spanish-speaking skills and experienced firsthand LCM’s preference for the poor and vulnerable.
Joanne’s affinity for the van’s community outreach married well with her interest in the Chez Melange For Our Children Food and Wine Festival. As Sandpipers president, Joanne was instrumental — along with Aztec Tents and Events’ Chuck Miller and Jim Sala — in finding a new location for the festival on the Little Company of Mary grounds in Torrance and designating the PFHK van as a beneficiary of the festival proceeds. It was through her friendship with LCM supporters Miller and Sala that Joanne was asked to join the LCM Community Health Foundation Board of Trustees in 1998. After two years of service, Joanne became the Board’s chairwoman. “I developed some pretty stringent trustee requirements. I felt that the more I expected, the higher the bar, the better quality of performance. The new requirements were readily approved,” she said. Philanthropy is a family affair for the Hunters. In 1991, they were selected as the Contra Costa County Family of the Year. Joanne served as President of the Junior League; supported the Contra Costa AIDS Task Force; and founded two chapters of National Charity League. The Hunters first met at the University of Arizona, where Jim remains an enthusiastic Wild Cats fan. Jim was co-chairman of the successful 2004 LCM Community Health Foundation Golf Classic, and fortunately for LCM, Jim agreed to lead the tournament again in 2005. The Hunters’ close-knit family life includes the family business, WEB Service Company, Inc., where Joanne serves on the Board of Directors. Joanne is an avid exerciser, loves family travel and reading, and credits herself with a lousy golf game — but enjoys it because she plays with Jim! Little Company of Mary acknowledges the remarkable generosity of Joanne and her family, and agrees with her philosophy that “Family, good friends and community are what it is all about!”
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