• by Fern Siegel , July 29, 2014

When the Ad Council honors FedEx Chair/CEO Frederick W. Smith at its annual Public Service Award dinner, Stephen Colbert will emcee.

Smith is the recipient of this year’s award for his philanthropy – personal and corporate. Among the issues he’s addressed are disaster relief, the environment and education. FedEx has worked with the Ad Council on education campaigns for African American and Hispanic kids.

Colbert, the host of the award-winning “The Colbert Report,” is scheduled to succeed David Letterman. Previous PSA dinner hosts have included Seth Meyers from “Saturday Night Live” and Conan O’Brien.

Last year, FedEx contributed over $46 million in cash and charitable shipping, along with thousands of volunteer hours through FedEx Cares. The company provides money and transport support to help global communities in need and aided relief efforts for Storm Sandy and Typhoon Haiyan.

Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council, touted the annual dinner as a way to “honor those who support the Ad Council and our more than 40 critical social issues.”

The dinner will be chaired by Laura Desmond, Global CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group.

The Ad Council has been honoring corporate leaders for their contributions to public service since 1953. The Public Service Award Dinner is the organization’s largest fundraising event. Last year’s benefit raised $3.4 million to support the organization’s programs.

This year’s event will be held Nov. 19 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.