Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, has named Peter E. Geiger as its 2014 PPAI H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award honoree. Named after the late H. Ted Olson, MAS, PPAI President Emeritus, the award represents what Olson stood for—volunteerism inside and outside the promotional products industry. The presentation of the 2014 PPAI H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award will take place at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, Jan. 13-17, 2014, during the Chairman’s Leadership Dinner.
The award is presented annually to PPAI members who have shown longstanding empathy, devotion and commitment to improving quality of life and bringing about change for the betterment of a community. These volunteers exhibit exemplary devotion and volunteerism to non-profit, civic, charitable and/or educational organizations committed to the needs of the communities they serve.
“I am truly honored to be part of an event that recognizes the importance of giving back to my community,” said Geiger, who is executive vice president, special markets group, of Lewiston, Maine-based distributor Geiger. “To be associated with Ted Olson and his life accomplishments is truly humbling. The one basic human quality that is most enduring is that of sharing and caring for others. I have been blessed with great role models and the resources to make a small difference.”
Geiger served on the PPAI Board of Directors from 1988 to1992, and served on numerous task forces and councils—including those working through the association’s name change and restructuring from a volunteer-driven to staff-driven organization. He also has made significant contributions to the committees for awards, membership and education.
“Peter, through his legacy of steadfast commitment and a staid dedication exemplifies humanitarianism, not only in the promotional products industry, but in communities here and abroad,” said industry veteran Jo-an Lantz, MAS.
In his community, Geiger is a champion of education. He has been appointed by the governor of Maine to the Maine State Board of Education and has worked tirelessly on the boards of St. Joseph’s College, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center and Foundation, the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education (MCEE) and Educate Maine, and has served as a cook for more than a decade at the St. Martin de Porres Residence homeless shelter.
Geiger is a founding member, advisor, board member and president of the Junior Achievement of Lewiston/Auburn. He established the Lewiston Education Fund and has served as its board member and president. The Geiger Montello Scholarship Fund, established and seed/match-funded by Peter Geiger, will award $180,000 in scholarships to college-bound high school graduates in 2014. In addition, he has established the Bates College Emergency Fund to benefit African students, and he has spent countless hours raising funds, rebuilding a school and church and supporting relief efforts in Haiti.
Geiger is the recipient of many awards and special recognitions including the Andros Chamber of Commerce, Raymond A. Geiger Award, President George Bush’s Points of Light, the American Institute for Public Service’s Jefferson Award, the Maine Principal’s Association Service to Maine Youth Award, and the Maine Children’s Alliance Outstanding Service Award.
For more information, visit the PPAI website at www.ppai.org.
