Nominated by Smith Consulting & Events

Lisa Lutz is a pioneer in the Anne Arundel County volunteer circle who focuses on the work instead of public praise. A fifth-generation Annapolitan, Lisa grew up surrounded by a village of people dedicated to serving others. Her mother was a development director for Hospice of the Chesapeake and the Providence Center, instilling in Lisa that helping others is a way of life, including her in the fold from a young age. As she grew older, Lisa took what she learned from accompanying her mother to volunteer and applied it to her own life and practice.

In 2019, an encounter with a boy who started a blanket drive for homeless individuals changed the trajectory of her life. She was inspired to begin her own initiative; thus, a winter clothing drive called Just One Sweater was born. The Annapolis-based program began as a single collection of over 500 sweaters and grew into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Just One, which has distributed more than 75,000 articles of warm clothing over the past six years, meeting the needs of Annapolis' most vulnerable neighbors in any season. Lisa personally restocks the organization's pantry network, often delivering the same day a need arises. Through Just One, she helps to provide necessities such as clothing and toiletries to keep individuals afloat.

Lisa’s charitable efforts extend beyond her work with Just One. She has been an active volunteer at Eastport United Methodist Church’s pantry and supported the Lighthouse Shelter in various fundraising efforts and even helped prepare meals. As a volunteer for the Elks Club of Annapolis, Lisa has helped the organization with writing grant applications that fund charitable organizations, including Just One's own work. During COVID, Lisa helped Roundtable Relief raise funds to purchase meals from struggling local restaurants and deliver them to hospitals and first responders on the front lines.

She’s taken more intimate approaches to her service work, including mentoring a young girl who arrived in the U.S. through a safe house as a child, helping her blossom into a successful and happy wife and mother.

Lisa is lauded as a connector. She uses her resources and network of people to help organizations and individuals in need, never hesitating to contact her first, whether for donations for people in the community or for help navigating how to secure them. Lisa always follows through. What separates her from others who are committed to service is that while she has her own efforts, she still maintains a heavy volunteer load across more than a dozen organizations in the area, helping in a variety of roles from fundraising to event planning and individual mentorship.

“I am amazed by how many organizations she supports, and by the overwhelming success of her Just One Sweater collection effort, which has since expanded into the Just One nonprofit, now providing far more than sweaters to individuals and families in some of Anne Arundel County's most poverty-stricken neighborhoods,” Stacey Smith said.

Lisa Lutz embodies exactly what “Boots on the Ground” means: hands-on, tireless, resourceful, and completely devoted to the neighbors of Anne Arundel County. More importantly, Lisa does not seek recognition, compensation, or a title for the work that she does. Over the past 15 years, Lisa has been a pillar in some of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in Annapolis: Annapolis Gardens, Eastport Terrace, Harbor House, Bywater, Robinwood, Clay Street, and Bay Ridge Gardens, becoming one of the area’s most trusted partners.

Join us in celebrating the Lisa and all of the honorees at the 2026 Celebration of Philanthropy Awards on November 12, 2026 at Live! Casino & Hotel.

Boots on the Ground Award
This award is presented to an individual who might be seen as an unsung hero and has gone above and beyond in the service of one or more nonprofit organizations; giving their time and talent to make a significant impact. This person is hands-on, providing programs or directly involved in programs, physically helping and serving others, and is often flying under the radar. This person can be a new or long-time volunteer.