The Kwame Charitable Foundation welcomed more than 250 guests to its second annual gala on November 8, 2024, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Thompson honored Kathy Osborn, founder and former executive director of the Regional Business Council, with the inaugural Betty and Jack Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award, which is named for his late parents, was presented to Osborn for her “tireless efforts to increase opportunities and improve the lives of countless women and minorities.”
In 2003, Thompson and his wife, Kim, sought to help first-generation college students whose academic success was hindered by limited resources. They established the Kwame Foundation, and it now has established endowed scholarships at nearly 30 institutions. It also supports organizations that enhance the educational landscape within this region and the United States.
According to its website, the Foundation “strives to change the trajectory of the lives of motivated young adults.”