Richard Tobin Benevolence Awards
Established nearly two decades ago, these awards honor our agents’ success and causes or organizations significant to them and their community.
Each year, Catholic Order of Foresters’ top 20 agents earn Richard Tobin Benevolence Awards. These awards, established in 2006, are made possible through Catholic Order of Foresters’ Welfare and Relief Fund. The late High Chief Ranger Richard Tobin created this fund to allocate money for fraternal good. Each agent who earns a Richard Tobin Benevolence Award chooses a Catholic organization to receive the $500 donation – schools, religious groups, pro-life causes and more from around the country have been named as recipients. To date, $143,500 has been donated to local and/or Catholic organizations as a result of these awards.
AWARDED IN 2023 & 2024
Antonio Alvarado
Agent Antonio Alvarado of Illinois, left, presents a Richard Tobin Award check to Jane Lagger, chief development officer at the Diocese of Joliet, and Catholic Order of Foresters member Doug Snode. The funds associated with this award will go toward the diocese’s Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal. (2024)
Brian Marketon
General Agent Brian Marketon presents a Richard Tobin Award check to Bridget Schulz, principal of St. Max Kolbe School in Delano, Minnesota. (2024)
Brian Marketon
Brian presents a check with the other half of the funds associated with his Tobin Award to Mary Ziebell, principal of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic School in Delano. (2023)
Dan Zentner
Agent Dan Zentner of Nebraska, right, presents a Richard Tobin Award check to Amber Armatys, co-director of the religious education program at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. The funds associated with this award will be used to support the religious education program with supplies and other necessities. (2024)
Kelly Mauer
Associate General Agent Kelly Mauer, left, presents a check with the proceeds from his Richard Tobin Award to Nancy Naprsteck of St. Paul’s Altar Society, a behind-the-scenes parish support group that cares for and provides liturgical necessities for St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Plainview, Nebraska. (2023)
Andrew Isbell
Agent Andrew Isbell from Illinois, left, a first-time recipient of the Richard Tobin Benevolence Award, and General Agent Tom Wesolowski present a check with the proceeds from Andrew’s award to Julie Garofalo, executive director of Waterleaf Women’s Center in Aurora. (2024)
Rich Oligmueller
General Agent Rich Oligmueller, not pictured, donated the funds associated with his Richard Tobin Award to St. Mary Catholic Church’s cemetery fund in Remsen, Iowa. Rich contributed to the fund with the intention of providing “perpetual care to those who have passed on before us.” (2023)
Rick Niklas
Agent Rick Niklas, right, presents a Richard Tobin Award check to the Rev. Jonathan Meyer on the construction site of Ars Coffee Shop at All Saints Parish in Guilford, Indiana. (2023)
Roger Bockweg
Agent Roger Bockweg of Kentucky, right, presents a Tobin Award check to Allen Pickett of Pickett’s Corner, a charity overseen by the Diocese of Covington that collects, repairs, and donates bicycles to guests of the diocese’s longstanding food shelter, Parish Kitchen. The funds associated with this award will be used to purchase parts to refurbish the bikes, creating reliable and affordable transportation for those who demonstrate a need. (2024)
Roger Klein
General Agent Roger Klein Sr., center, presents a Richard Tobin Award check to the Rev. Kyle Laylan, left, and the Rev. Arturo Vigueras, right, of Holy Family Catholic Church in Arcadia, Wisconsin. (2023)
Ryan Maschmeyer
Agent Ryan Maschmeyer, left, hands over a Richard Tobin Award check to Deb Geers, principal of St. Timothy Catholic School in Union, Kentucky; and the Rev. Rick Bolte of St. Timothy Parish. “St. Timothy plays a huge role in my family’s life by providing our daughters with a high-quality education, teachers who care about their well-being, and an environment for them to thrive academically, spiritually, and socially,” said Ryan. (2023)
Tyson Owens
Associate General Agent Tyson Owens of Nebraska, left, presents a Richard Tobin Award check to Executive Director of Columbus Catholic Schools and Scotus Central Catholic High School President Jeff Ohnoutka. (2023)
Please note, not every winner is listed above. Agents Rob McKay, Mike Rice, Roger Bockweg, Mark Hehman, Anna Kulpa, Holly Schweitzer, and Geoff Wolterstorff also won Richard Tobin Awards in 2023!