A Jewish banker and philanthropist to Jewish causes has become Brazil’s richest person with $25.2 billion.

Joseph Safra, who is considered the richest banker in the world by Forbes magazine, has taken over the number one richest position in Brazil from entrepreneur Jorge Paulo Lemann, becoming the richest person in Latin America’s largest nation. The bank that bears his name announced in early February a net profit of near $2 billion in 2018, helping to increase his fortune.

Safra, 81, is a leading philanthropist in Brazil’s 120,000-strong Jewish community.  Born in Lebanon, he runs a Brazilian banking and investment empire. His Lebanese/Syrian family’s banking connections date back to Ottoman times. The Safras moved to Brazil in 1952.

Lemann, one of the partners in the 3G fund with a current fortune estimated at $23 billion, had been Brazil’s richest person for six years in a row, reported the G1 news website. He lost $ 4.4 billion between March 2018 and March 2019, moving down from from 20th to 37th place on the worldwide list. His fund 3G is behind companies such as Inbev, Burger King and Kraft Heinz.

During the same period, Safra’s banks’ worth increased by $1.6 billion, rising from 36th to 31st. The billionaires remain the only Brazilians in the top 100 of the world’s richest. Next on the list are Marcel Herrmann Telles (141st), also a partner in 3G, and Eduardo Saverin (153rd), co-founder of Facebook.

Source: JTA

Celebrity-charity strategic alliances benefit both parties in multiple ways. Very importantly, they provide established as well as fast-tracking entertainers and athletes meaningful opportunities to leverage their current and growing stature to drive support to philanthropic causes they feel deeply about. For non-profits, the benefits of aligning with celebrities can be tremendous. Aside from having the services of people who care about their causes, the charities get spokespeople who can champion their positions and are regularly instrumental in helping to fundraise.

In a study of 165 talent agents and managers, more than four out of five of them have addressed the matter of charitable giving and personal involvement with their more successful entertainment clients. Many times the agents and managers are involved with helping them identify and work with charities that are synergistic.

According to Rick Flynn, Co-CEO and founding partner of LVW/Flynn and author of The High-Functioning Single-Family Office, “There are basically three levels of strategic alliances between celebrities and charities. The first level is where the celebrities commit some time and money. They will donate to the cause in various ways and attend some events. Their involvement acts as a magnet for other volunteers and contributors. The next level is where something of a joint venture takes place. This is for celebrities who focus on a particular cause and concentrate most of their philanthropic activities around that cause. The third level is where celebrities form their own charities of private foundations.”

According to John Bowen, founder of BSW Inner Circle, “For successful celebrities who are looking to become closely connected with a particular cause or to create their own charities or establish a private foundation, many personal factors habitually that goes into the decision. At the same time, aside from their agents and managers, a growing cohort of specialists can work with them to help them sort through their options and make decisions aligned with their philanthropic agendas and careers.

“When celebrities get seriously involved in philanthropic causes, many tax strategies can enable them to make their monies do more — usually, a lot more.” explains Frank Seneco, President of Seneco & Associates, an advanced planning specialist working with entertainers and athletes. “However, in our experience, most importantly, what is driving the trend of more and stronger celebrity-charity strategic alliances is the power and the fame that all kinds of celebrities have, which can be leveraged to benefit causes they care intensely about.”

Written By: Russ Alan Prince

According to a recent report on publicly announced giving compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy – an organization that publishes news and resources on philanthropy – there were twelve donations given by wealthy donors that surpassed $100 million, plus another six that totaled $100 million exactly.

The two largest donations – for $500 million each – came from Nike cofounder Phil Knight and his wife Penny, and investor-philanthropist Nicolas Beggruen.

Phil Knight~

Knight, a billionaire whose net worth Forbes estimates at $24.9 billion (making him the 18th wealthiest person in the United States), made his high-value gift to the University of Oregon – his alma mater – to establish there a new center for scientific research. Berggruen, with an estimate worth of $1.73 billion, donated to his own public policy think-tank, the Berggruen Institute.

Nicolas Berggruen~

The second most valuable donation, a $400 million pledge, was also made by Mr. and Mrs. Knight. This trove of charity went to Stanford University to establish the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, which provides education to 100 graduate high achieving students every year.

Also providing a $400 million gift to a good cause was physician Howard Marcus and wife Lottie, an investor, who directed their money in the form of a bequest to American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev for endowment and water research. The donation was the largest ever to an Israeli university.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a large charitable impact, The billionaire’s philanthropic organization gave $360 million to handful of organizations and an additional $300 million donation to The Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, to establish the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.

Steven Cohen and wife Alexandra pledged $275 million last year to start the Cohen Veterans Network to provide mental-health services to former service members and their families. Cohen, whose net worth FORBES estimates at $13 billion, built his wealth in hedge funds.

Facebook founding president, Sean Parker, makes an appearance on the list of top donors of 2016, with a $250 million gift to establish the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Oracle founder, Larry Ellison, made the list as well, pledging $200 million to the University of Southern California, to establish the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine.

Legendary investor and Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman Charlie Munger pledged $200 million to the University of California at Santa Barbara, for new student housing.

Sanford Weill, chairman emeritus of Citigroup, and his wife, Joan, donated $185 million to the University of California at San Francisco, to start the Weill Institute for Neurosciences.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg donated $107.2 million to the Fidelity Charitable, for the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Fund.

Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen pledged $100 million to establish the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group.

Billionaire Phillip Frost, a physician and pharmaceutical company executive, and his wife, Patricia, pledged $100 million to the University of Miami, to support applied sciences and engineering.

David Geffen, a cofounder of DreamWorks Studios SKG and founder of Geffen Records, pledged $100 million to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, to renovate and expand the museum.

Netflix founder, Reed Hastings, gave $100 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, to establish the Hastings Fund.

Robert King, founder of Peninsula Capital, and his wife, Dorothy, pledged $100 million to Stanford University, for scholarships for students from underdeveloped countries.

Mortimer Zuckerman, a cofounder of Boston Properties, a real-estate investment trust, donated $100 million to create the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Scholars Program in STEM Leadership to bolster collaboration between top U.S. and Israeli researchers.

By Karsten Strauss

CEO, Michelle-Marie Heinemann of Old Fashioned Mom Magazine and HSH Prince Charles-Henri Lobkowicz, who is the Brand Ambassador for the exclusive line of Dewitt Watches, welcomed guests at Plaza Athenee to chat about the magnificent watch collection. 

The Lobkowicz Family dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian Noble Families. Prince Charles Father was Prince Edouard de Lobkowicz and his Mother the Princess Francoise of Bourbon-Parma. 

Guests included: Anne Van Ness, Sharon Bush, Isaac Lazerson, Marie-Claire Gladstone, Ann Baker, Tanja Dreiding Wallace, Dr. Tamas Lorinczy, and Annamaria Bogyay.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann, Marie-Claire Gladstone and Ann Van Ness attend a Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz, Dr. Tamas Lorinczy, New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann and Ambassador Katalin Annamaria Bogyay attend New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (L) and Sharon Bush attend a Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) and Marie-Claire Gladstone attend a Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: Dr. Tamas Lorinczy (L) and Ambassador Katalin Annamaria Bogyay attend New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (L) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (R) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann, Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz and Anne Baker attend a Luncheon At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (L) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (R) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (L) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (R) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (L) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (R) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann, Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz and Tanja Dreiding Wallace attend a Luncheon At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz, New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann and Anne Baker attend a Luncheon At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann and Anne Baker attend a Luncheon for Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (R) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (L) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann (L) Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz (R) At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: General view of atmopshere at New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann, Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz and Anne Baker attend a Luncheon At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 08: New York Socialite Michelle-Marie Heinemann Hosts Luncheon For Prince Charles Henri Lobkowicz At Plaza Athenee on January 8, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Old Fashioned Mom Magazine)

The late philanthropist and musician William H. Scheide has donated thousands of rare manuscripts and documents to Princeton University, the Ivy League academic institution announced Monday.

Scheide, who passed away at 100 in November, made the largest gift in Princeton’s history when the 1936 grad left the school his library of 2,500 historic books, papers and records carrying an appraised value of $300 million, Princeton officials said.

Scheide had displayed the collection, which includes documents like the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, the original printing of the Declaration of Independence and an autographed 1856 Abraham Lincoln speech about slavery, at the university’s Firestone Library since 1959.

But the donation will allow university officials to continue digitizing the documents for public inspection in its online library and preparing for a new display room for them at the renovated library, they said.

COURTESY OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Scheide shows students the collection’s copy of Darwin’s The Origin of Species in March 2000.

“Through Bill Scheide’s generosity, one of the greatest collections of rare books and manuscripts in the world today will have a permanent home here,” said Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber.

Scheide’s collection, which his oil executive grandfather began amassing in 1865, also contains three other 15th century Bibles in the only complete set of all four of the first editions outside of Europe, a signed Beethoven sketchbook, a Magna Carta dating to the 1300s and the poet Emily Dickinson’s chocolate pudding recipe, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Scheide grew up in Titusville, Pa, where his father, a fellow Princeton man, built the first formal display of the historical rarities, but he later relocated them to the university following the death of his mother and reviewed Princeton officials’ plan for the new space that will house them, Princeton officials said.

“This collection is the fulfillment of the dreams of three generations of Scheide book men,” said Sheide’s wife, Judy McCartin Scheide. “Having it reside permanently at Princeton is a testament to the joy Bill took in sharing the books, papers, manuscripts, letters, music and posters with others — those were some of his happiest times.”

Scheide, who recalled being fascinated by his father’s documents as a child at the house in Titusville, founded the renowned Bach Aria Group in 1946 and helped provide the ensemble with material by culling through the full 47 volumes of the master composer’s work, the New York Times reported in his obituary last year.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, where Scheide provided future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall with financial backing to help pursue the landmark Brown v. Topeka Board of Education case, also recognizes Scheide as its largest individual donor, according to the organization.

Alumni Couple makes $20 million gift to establish the Notre Dame Institute for global investing.

James Parsons and Dr. Carrie Quinn of New York City have made a $20 million gift to the University of Notre Dame to endow a new Institute for Global Investing in their alma mater’s Mendoza College of Business.

“This magnanimous gift will allow a cadre of superb finance faculty members at Notre Dame to advance their teaching and research to new levels,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the University’s president. “Jim and Carrie are distinguished graduates of the University, and we are most grateful for their wonderful generosity.”

The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing is poised to advance investment-management research and educational outreach on a worldwide scale, according to Roger D. Huang, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business.

“The Notre Dame Institute for Global Investing provides that vital nexus for research, the classroom, our alumni and other partners so that we can leverage all of it for a greater impact than the sum of its parts,” he said. “I’m confident that the institute will enable us to expand opportunities for our stakeholders — especially for our students — and become a significant thought leader in the global investment community.”

Scott Malpass, vice president, chief investment officer and a professor in Notre Dame’s Applied Investment Management (AIM) course, added: “I have known Jim since he was a junior at Notre Dame and have watched him become one of the finest money managers in the nation today. Jim and Carrie’s tremendous generosity will allow us to train the next generation of top-tier money managers imbued with the strong business ethics and principle-centered leadership that come from a Notre Dame education.”

The institute will leverage three key strengths of Notre Dame — top-rated finance faculty, an innovative finance curriculum and extensive strategic partnerships — to form a platform for both learning and influencing the way investment managers the world over think about global finance.

The institute’s goals include expanding internship and career placement opportunities; leveraging key partnerships among the college, the Notre Dame Investment Office and the University’s extensive alumni network; furthering faculty research and thought leadership; attracting prospective finance faculty; and adding depth and breadth to Mendoza’s already strong finance curriculum.

Shane Corwin, associate professor of finance, has been named as the inaugural director of the institute. A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 2000, he teaches and researches in the areas of security market design and investment banking. He has published articles in numerous finance journals, most recently studying the role of limited attention in securities trading, the measurement of transaction costs and conflicts of interest related to maker-taker fees on U.S. stock exchanges.

Corwin has served as a member of the Nasdaq Economic Advisory Board and has been awarded research grants from the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership, Morgan Stanley and the Q-Group. He earned a doctorate in finance from Ohio State University and bachelor’s and master of business administration (MBA) degrees from Mankato State University.

Parsons earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Notre Dame and an MBA from Harvard University. He is founder and portfolio manager for Junto Capital Management in New York City and previously served as a portfolio manager for Viking Global Investors in New York.

Quinn is a graduate of both Notre Dame and Tufts University Medical School. She completed her pediatric residency at Boston Children’s Hospital. After working in private practice in Queens, New York, for six years, she is now an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital. In addition to seeing patients and teaching medical students, she is the executive director of the Mount Sinai Parenting Center, a not-for-profit entity created to support and educate parents in evidence-based parenting practices designed to help improve the health, resilience and well-being of children and families. The couple has three children.

“There has never been a greater need for outstanding leadership in the investment management industry,” Parsons said. “It has been a privilege to work together with the Mendoza College of Business, Scott Malpass, the Investment Office and other University leaders to form an institute that should enable the University to adequately address the need to educate the investment management leaders of tomorrow. The University is uniquely positioned to assist in the formation of leaders around the globe, and Carrie and I are delighted that our gift will help address this critical need.”

Quinn and Parsons made a $5 million gift in 2010 to endow the directorship of Notre Dame’s Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases. They also have made gifts to their alma mater for a Donor Advised Fund, scholarship, the Applied Investment Management Alumni Endowment Fund and the President’s Circle.

Philanthropy Story ~ By Dennis Brown

Philanthropist and Tycoon Leonard A. Lauder recently made international headlines when he  announced his enormous pledge of $1.1 billion dollars of Cubist Art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Lauder donated 78 works by great artists such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Juan Gris and Fernand Leger to one of New York’s most famous museums.  Moreover, he pledged to continue donating additional acquisitions of Cubist Art.  His objective was to fill the gap in the Museum’s own collection. Lauder wanted his gift to be “transformative ” and  was quoted as saying “it will catapult them into the 21st century.” He recognized the need to share his works of art with the rest of the world.  This billion dollar pledge of  art  had followed earlier gifts for the endowment to the Museum for the creation of a research center for modern art.  Cubism: The Leonard A. Lauder Collection went on exhibit at the Met Museum on October 20, 2014 and will remain on view until February 16, 2015.  Represented at the Met are 34 works by Picasso, 17 by Braque and 15 each for Leger and Braque.

Lauder, a long time patron of the arts, has never been a  stranger to the world of charitable giving, especially when it comes to art institutions. The Whitney Museum of Art has  been the recipient of both his  art and resources.  In 2008,  Leonard donated over $100 million to the Whitney to assure it’s long term sustainability. To date, this is the single largest gift ever received by the museum.

Leonard has also pledged his beloved collection of 120,000 postcards to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A longtime collector of postcards, his passion for them had caused his late wife, Evelyn, to refer to the collection as his “mistress”.

Lauder  has  shown his philanthropic nature in other areas besides art.  He is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation and a member of the President’s Council of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital. Lauder and his late wife, Evelyn, were actively involved in the creation of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Evelyn Lauder is the founder of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Leonard Lauder, New Yorker extraordinaire, was born in 1933.  He serves as chairman emeritus of The Estee Lauder Companies. Throughout his life he has also been involved in the world of  politics and education.  Lauder is often seen around New York at various charity galas including those for NY City Ballet and Metropolitan Opera.

Teen Philanthropist Zach Bonner

One is never to young or inexperienced to start making a difference in the world….and Zach Bonner is clearly demonstrating this. As an advocate for homeless youth, Bonner created The Little Red Wagon Foundation, a non-profit charity that raises money and collects supplies for needy children.

He began this non-profit charity when he was seven years old with his Mother and has raised thousands of dollars as well as pulling his little red wagon to neighboring households collecting supplies.

Teaching children the principles of giving is so very important. Give what you have, whether it is money, items or time. Involving children in volunteering will create strong morals and will make a difference in the community.

www.lrwf.org

Rita Cosby is one of the most recognized and respected broadcasters in America and has been quoted and profiled by hundreds of media outlets across the country and overseas.

She is a renowned Emmy-winning TV host, veteran correspondent and multiple best selling author, who anchored highly rated primetime shows on Fox News Channel and MSNBC. She is currently a special correspondent for the top-rated CBS syndicated news magazine, Inside Edition, does frequent hosting and reporting for CNN/HLN, and hosts “The Rita Cosby Show” on the legendary WABC Radio, the most listened to talk station in America. In 2014, she was named by Radio Ink Magazine as one of the Most Influential Women in Radio, and in 2015, she was honored with two prestigious Gracie Awards for both “Outstanding Host” and “Outstanding Talk Show.”

Because of Rita’s “extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community,” October 11th, 2010 was officially named “Rita Cosby Day” in the State of New York. In 2011, she was recognized by the US Congress for her professional and charitable achievements.

“My Father’s Path to Freedom”

I have been blessed in my career to meet many extraordinary people, often previously unsung heroes, who are doing remarkable and selfless things for often people they do not know. I think these individuals, coming from all walks of life, are what drive me to try to make a difference any way I can. Having been to many corners of the earth in my journalistic work, I have seen firsthand the need to improve communities is great, whether it’s due to poverty, the plight of natural disasters or even human trafficking. Beyond my work on air, whether it’s TV or radio, I have always felt the least I can do is lend my voice.

There are many wonderful charities I have been involved with over the years including St. Francis Food Pantries, D.A.R.E., American Friends of Laniado Hospital, Blue Card, National Meningitis Association, Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, ACE (Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless), David Lynch Foundation, Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club, USO and Wounded Warrior Project. These last ones have a deep, personal meaning to me and my own family history and reinforce why I love this country so much and what it represents to the world.

My own journey started when I was a young child and first recognized seeing the scars on my father’s body, etched like cracks in dried mud. Being an inquisitive child, I asked my mother about them, and she quickly responded that my father went through tough timed growing up, and “we don’t talk about it.” The door was closed for literally decades until a startling discovery only a few years ago of an old tan, battered suitcase… and the contents inside that changed my life forever.

I found a red and white fighting Polish armband, covered with blood and dirt, also a card with codenames on it, a rusty tag with a prisoner number emblazoned on it… and a card of an ex-POW named Ryszard Kossobudzki. At that moment, I was overcome with emotion and the revelations before me. I knew it was time to learn all I could about my aging father’s secret past before it was too late. What I learned from my father filled me with immense pride for his courage, and for the bravery of the US troops who saved his life.

He was 13 when the Nazis brutally attacked his beloved homeland of Poland and at age 15, my father decided to stay and fight, knowing the chances of survival against this ruthless enemy were slim. After more than five years of war and months in a POW camp, my father escaped, weighing just 90 pounds and standing nearly six feet tall. An American pilot finally spotted the walking skeletons and sent down a note wrapped around a chocolate bar, tied with a red ribbon, saying they had 15 miles to walk and “you’re free.” The starving POWs ran to a riverbed, and on the other side, were young GIs who told them their nightmare was finally over. My Polish father knew few words in English and could only say “thank you.” But he knew immediately that the United States is the greatest country in the world because it represents freedom and security not just for the people of Poland, but for everyone.

Rita Cosby with Afghanistan US Troops

I have always profoundly appreciated our military men and women and often seen them in action in remote war-torn regions of the world. But since learning of my father’s incredible journey, every time I see a young person put on that uniform, I wonder what persecuted individuals they may save in devastated parts of the globe and if these young faces look similar to the ones my father saw across that riverbed on the luckiest day of his life. For this reason, I often wipe away tears when I greet our active duty troops or veterans, as they are constant reminders of the best this country represents. These are people, like my father, willing to die for freedom, not just for our country, but for others they don’t know, thousands of miles away. They fight with bullets and tanks, the least I can do is fight passionately with a microphone to make sure these heroes and their families are never forgotten.

Rita Cosby wrote a bestselling book about her father entitled, “Quiet Hero”.

Find the book at amazon.com

Philanthropist and Artist Ron Burkhardt is the genius behind The Notism Movement. A method of painting that exhalts the Beauty of Memory and is symbolic of primal loss; the fading reality of nature’s perfection.

The hieroglyphic scribbles and scrawls in his work manifest in a unique pictorial language that reflects urgent efforts to preserve our personal histories and rapidly fleeting histories.

I first met Ron at a luncheon given by a mutual friend at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach. We immediately bonded over art and our common interest in various charities.

Throughout the history of the world, important needs have been filled by volunteers, people working for the common good of others. These individuals are essential to the well being of people everywhere. Ron is a wonderful example of this. His charities that he is involved with include: South Hampton Hospital, Project Angel Food, Eisenhower Medical Center, Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation, Children’s Development Center of the Hampton’s, and African Child Foundation.

Giving back to the community is very important to Ron as he has made it a priority to help those around him and positively impact those in need providing a renewed sense of hope.

My family and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to his Art Studio. The view from his work space overlooks Lake Worth and manicured Versailles styled gardens in Palm Beach, the perfect inspiration for his recently created “letterscape” masterpieces.

My son Hudson immediately selected his favorite as did my daughter Hyacinth. For me, it was somewhat difficult as there were several paintings that I fell completely in love with.

Ron has received over 200 awards for creative excellence and his work has been honored by The United Nations, Palm Springs International Film Festival, and Hollywood International Broadcast awards to name a few.

Each day I am moved and inspired by the generosity and creativity of people like Ron Burkhardt who genuinely want to leverage their wealth for the common good.

Michelle-Marie Heinemann & Ron Burkhardt

Ron Burkhardt with Hudson and Hyacinth Heinemann

Artwork – Ron Burkhardt

Michelle-Marie Heinemann & Ron Burkhardt

Artwork – Ron Burkhardt

RonBurkhardt.com >>