Nominated by Luminis Health | Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation

For more than two decades, the Earl family has given Anne Arundel County reason after reason to be grateful. Jim and Sylvia Earl were named Philanthropists of the Year in 2012, honored for a lifetime of generosity across health care, education, and the arts. This year, that same spirit shines through their son, Matthew Earl, and daughter-in-law, Bridget Earl, who have taken up their parents' example and made it their own, growing a family legacy into something even bigger for the community they call home.

Nowhere is that more visible than at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. The Earl family's relationship with the hospital began in 1998 with a first gift from Jim and Sylvia and grew in 2013 with the creation of the James and Sylvia Earl Simulation to Advance Innovation and Learning Center, now a nationally recognized training site for physicians and nurses. In 2026, Sylvia joined Matthew and Bridget in committing $10 million toward the Earl Family Surgical Center, the largest single gift in the hospital's nearly 125-year history and the lead investment in a $20 million Advanced Surgical Suite project that will bring five new operating and procedural rooms, including a hybrid operating room built for complex cardiovascular and neurovascular care.

Matthew, an associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland and owner of multiple World Beer locations, has brought that same generosity to conservation as a board member of Chesapeake Conservancy. His support helped permanently protect 47 acres of forest in Anne Arundel County and establish the Earl Conservation Center on West Street in Annapolis. "Their investments make a lasting impact on the community at large and the nonprofit organizations working to support and sustain our community," said Susan Shingledecker, CEO of Chesapeake Conservancy.

The family's story also holds the memory of Bridget's late husband, David Earl, who passed away in September 2025. David founded Severn Records in 1998 and spent more than two decades producing recordings for blues, soul, gospel, jazz, and zydeco artists, work that earned Severn Records multiple national awards and, for David himself, the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive award. Bridget keeps that legacy close through the Blue Waters Foundation, and the family's giving has also reached organizations including Anne Arundel County CASA, the Anne Arundel County Food Bank and Hospice of the Chesapeake Foundation. David and Bridget also helped build the Media Arts Hub at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, where students learn to combine technology and art at no cost, and Matthew's support there is helping close a multimillion-dollar capital campaign for a new HVAC system and a state-of-the-art black box theater.

At Historic Annapolis, the family's generosity spans generations too. The Earls are the largest private donor in the organization's 74-year history, with support advancing the restoration of the James Brice House, a National Historic Landmark. "As representatives of the Earl family, Matthew Earl and Bridget Earl exemplify the thoughtful stewardship of generational wealth in service to causes that reflect their family's values," wrote Theimer Brown, President and CEO of Historic Annapolis.

From Jim and Sylvia's founding vision to Matthew and Bridget's leadership today, the Earl family shows what it means to give with heart, generation after generation, and Anne Arundel County is better for it.

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

Philanthropist of the Year Award

This award is presented to an individual, group, family, or family foundation with a proven record of exceptional generosity who has demonstrated outstanding civic and philanthropic responsibility through direct substantial financial support, exemplary leadership in advancing philanthropy, and whose generosity encourages others to become philanthropic leaders, particularly in Anne Arundel County.