The 2025 Big Table Report

Your participation was crucial to making The Big Table on October 21, 2025, an inspiring day of kindness and conversation. Thank you for playing a role in creating a strong, connected community where everyone is valued. Read highlights of participant survey responses, the topics we talked about, and what we are learning together in The Big Table Report.

The Harrison M. Sayre Award – 2025 Honorees

The Edwards Family

Given in honor of Harrison M. Sayre, The Columbus Foundation’s founder and 25-year volunteer director, The Harrison M. Sayre Award recognizes leadership in philanthropy in central Ohio. 
In recognition of their many contributions to the Columbus region and their exceptional leadership, the Edwards Family has been selected as the 2025 honorees of The Harrison M. Sayre Award. As a family of builders, dreamers, and doers, the Edwardses have brought new development, character, and opportunity to central Ohio.

Created in 2019, Columbus’ True Originals celebrates those in our community who expand the horizons of Columbus through groundbreaking, original work.   

A legendary jazz musician, Rahsaan Roland Kirk delighted audiences with his legendary ability to play several horns at once, often harmonizing with himself.  

He knew his purpose in life was to be creative and to make music,” explained Marchbanks. “His philosophy was that music brings people together. Music is a healing force in the universe.”

Created in 2019, Columbus’ True Originals celebrates those in our community who expand the horizons of Columbus through groundbreaking, original work.   

Recently named a Columbus True Original, Bill Willis was the first Black starter in professional football and, alongside teammate Marion Motley, is widely credited for helping to break the sport’s color barrier. In 1977, because of his impressive skill and enduring impact on the game, Willis was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A world-renowned visual artist and 2025 Columbus True Original, Ann Hamilton’s art may best be described as a multi-sensory experience that is tactile, immersive, and ephemeral. 

Hamilton’s influence on the visual arts cannot be overstated, nor can her creativity or originality. As she poignantly stated, “One doesn’t arrive—in words or in art—by necessarily knowing where one is going. In every work of art something appears that does not previously exist, and so, by default, you work from what you know to what you don’t know. You may set out for New York, but you may find yourself as I did in Ohio.”

Created in 2019, Columbus’ True Originals celebrates those in our community who expand the horizons of Columbus through groundbreaking, original work.   

The Annual Report captures community initiatives, donor stories, the year by the numbers, and more—all made possible by generous donors!