Pete and Ada Lee Correll, long-time donors and volunteers who have created a charitable legacy at in Atlanta, have been selected to receive the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ top philanthropy honor, the Paschal Murray Award for Outstanding Philanthropist.

The award, sponsored by Paschal Murray Inc., a national executive search firm specializing in the nonprofit sector, will be presented to the Corrells on April 13 at the Awards for Philanthropy Banquet during AFP’s International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore, Md.

Nominated by Emory University and the AFP Greater Atlanta Chapter, the Corrells have given millions of dollars to a variety of charitable causes in Atlanta and across the state of Georgia.

The Corrells have been especially supportive of Emory, recently donating to the Emory School of Medicine to fund term-limit chairs and scholarships. In addition to their monetary gifts, both of the Corrells served as chairs of the school’s 150th anniversary celebration, and Ada Lee Correll currently chairs the $500 million School of Medicine campaign, part of the larger $1.6 billion Campaign Emory. 

“Pete and Ada Lee have invested not just their time and resources in Emory's medical school but also their hearts," says Thomas Lawley, dean of the Emory School of Medicine. "Their gifts are helping our faculty and students in very concrete ways every single day, and their vision and leadership have been fundamentally important in helping shape our future."

“This award is beyond anything we ever expected or deserve,” said the Corrells. “We were both raised with a belief that we had an obligation to give back, not only of our time, but of our resources. We have been uniquely blessed with success and honored with opportunities to give back.”’

One of the Corrells’ biggest projects is to help rebuild and revitalize Grady Memorial Hospital, a 116-year-old institution that is the region’s only 24-hour trauma center.

Pete Correll, a former corporate executive who now serves as the chairman of Atlanta Equity and the chairman emeritus of Georgia-Pacific Corp., led the charge for the creation of a new, nonprofit corporation to oversee the Grady Health System and develop a base of local support. Through his leadership, the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation was established, and Correll helped secure a $200 million pledge of capital funding from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. He also helped lead a community-wide effort to raise an additional $100 million.  

Ada Lee Correll is an experienced volunteer fundraiser who has chaired and led countless fundraising efforts for numerous nonprofit organizations including organizing the Heart Ball for the American Heart Association, which netted more than $1 million, a record amount.

In a letter of nomination, President Jim Wanger wrote: “The exceptional generosity of the Corrells in energy, spirit and financial support of community initiatives models the meaning of the word philanthropy. The results of their work are evident from the boardroom to the emergency room, and their largesse and compassion affect people everywhere.”