My Philanthropy

When I did an assessment of my own values and social interests, I wasn't surprised to learn that "Community" and "Philanthropy and Volunteerism" respectively, were among my top 5. Both come from a profound sense of responsibility - the sense that as a human being, particularly one blessed with reasonably good health and intelligence, I have no small something to do with what shows up in the world around me. For me, action consistent with belief is as natural as my next breath.

I became an estate planner in large measure because of the promise of charitable giving - one could contribute assets in furtherance of issues and values believed in, and do it in a way that results in lower taxes. This I figured was a win all around. My interest led me to the Planned Giving Council of Miami-Dade County, and the National Committee on Planned Giving, now the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning. I served as President of my local chapter and sat on its board for many years, and took on leadership roles in its campaign to encourage philanthropy, Leave a Legacy.

I've long been interested in the arts, and currently serve on the Foundation Board for the New World School of the Arts, here in Miami. An amazing institution, it is a conservatory program in theater, music, dance, and visual arts, and a full academic program for both high school and college degrees. NWSA is a cooperative venture of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami-Dade College, and the University of Florida. Being at a New World performance never fails to restore my faith in tomorrow! I've also served on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami (serving as Vice-chair), and on the the Board of the Friends of the Bass Museum on Miami Beach.

As a "gay man of a certain vintage", I've been proud to be a foot soldier in my community's quest for full equality. Be the contribution money, time, or professional service (and sometimes all three) I've supported local groups like Project YES (now the YES Institute), the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, the Miami Gay Men's Chorus, the Miami Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, SAVE Dade (and its foundation), and most recently, Miami Beach Pride. I was the first member of the National Board of Directors of Lambda Legal from the South Florida area.

But personal philanthropy takes forms other than board service - it's also being awake to using individual talents to meet needs and address opportunities. Some years ago, a local organization produced two events which generated considerable revenue for my community. When that organization met its demise, I was concerned about the loss of revenue from those events and the impact of that loss locally.

Working with the enlightened leadership of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, I was able to negotiate an agreement whereby the Task Force would continue to produce those events, the Miami Recognition Dinner, and the Annual Winter Party Festival. Most importantly, 2/3 of the event net proceeds would be granted to worthy organizations by my local community foundation, The Dade Community Foundation. Since that time, more than $750,000 has been distributed by the Foundation from the GLBT Community Projects Fund, and I chair the committee that advises the Foundation Board on making these grants.