A NOTE FROM BOB FELDMAN:
Much is made of the value of networking in building one’s career: better opportunities, better jobs, wider circle of friends, and so forth. All true.
But in time, it is also true that such a network is one to be leveraged for the better of our society. Many extraordinary non-profit organizations need the connections and resources of the business community but don’t have the relationships or insights that a career in the private sector can bring.
It is incumbent upon business leaders to help. To this end, I am delighted to support several exceptionally worthwhile organizations such as:
Seeds of Peace
My family and I have been involved with Seeds of Peace for years. Seeds is a peace-building and leadership organization headquartered in New York City. Its mission is to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders from regions of conflict, often the Middle East. The program’s centerpiece is a summer camp in Maine to which Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians, Afghans, Pakistanis and many more come together to listen and learn.
Global Health Corps
One day I happened to sit next to Barbara Bush during an industry conference. In the course of chatting, she told me about the work of Global Health Corps, an organization she co-founded in 2009. GHC’s mission is to mobilize a diverse community of leaders to build the movement for global health equity. Their goal: a world where every person lives a healthy, dignified life. It’s quite an amazing group and I am glad to support it by helping to bridge opportunities with the private sector.
My Vote Project
On February 14, 2018, the shooting in Parkland, FL at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School took 17 lives. Sari Kaufman, a sophomore at the time, survived but her world was turned upside down. In response, Sari and some of her classmates were propelled to action and led March for Our Lives (MFOL). Sari focused on voter registration and led a coalition of organizations to collect over 1000 registrations in one day. The following month Sari partnered with professor David McAdams of Duke University and Gita Stulberg, a political strategist to found MyVote Project, a nonpartisan voter education project working to revolutionize the way people vote and think about politics. I had the privilege to get to know Sari in 2018 when, as chair of that year’s Page annual conference, I invited Sari and a few of her MFOL colleagues to speak to our group. We’ve remained in touch since and it is my honor to support their cause.
USC Shoah Foundation
The USC Shoah Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust (which in Hebrew is called the Shoah) and other genocides, a compelling voice for education and action. It was established by Steven Spielberg in 1994, one year after completing his Academy Award-winning film Schindler's List. In January 2006, the foundation partnered with and relocated to the University of Southern California (USC) and was renamed the USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education. I have known Stephen Smith, Shoah’s executive director, for several years and the work he and his team do is entirely focused on preventing future genocides. What could be more important?
“Sixty years ago John F. Kennedy said, ‘To whom much is given much is required.’ That remains true today. And for those of us in business, we share a unique responsibility to help tackle society’s challenges and create a better world for our children.”
— BOB FELDMAN