“We were shocked to learn in the TRENDS Report that Boulder County has such a weak tradition of giving, because we see a community that has abundant wealth and enormous needs.”
When Julie Rogers and Lenny Berman moved here a little over three years ago – after decades in the Washington, DC metro area – they looked for ways to get involved in their new community.
“We’ve both had long careers in philanthropy,” says Julie, who served as president of the Meyer Foundation for nearly 30 years, “and we believe in the power of philanthropy.
“Personally and professionally, we’ve spent our lives trying to find the most effective nonprofits. We believe that when you identify visionary, talented nonprofit leaders, you do everything you can to support them.
“We also understand the impact of community foundations that not only help donors identify what they care about most, but also help them discover effective giving opportunities. And I know the incredibly important role of community foundations in convening diverse stakeholders and making important things happen…like bringing specialty care to people who are medically needy.”
While Julie is retired, Lenny still works for the Prince Charitable Trusts, which operates as a family foundation with giving programs in Chicago, the Washington, DC metro area, and the state of Rhode Island. “We have more time to do things in the community, now,” says Lenny, who previously lived in Boulder in the 70s. “Before we moved here, we visited five or six times on vacation…usually we stayed at Chautauqua.”
Indeed, Julie went on to serve on the board of the Colorado Chautauqua Association, and Lenny has volunteered with Colorado Horse Rescue – both grantees of the Community Foundation. Neighbors further introduced the couple to TEENS, Inc. – also a grantee – where Lenny now serves on the board.
“We fell in love with Stephen,” Julie chimes in, referring to TEENS, Inc. Executive Director Stephen LeFaiver. “He’s a happy example of the kind of leader we love to support.” More recently, Julie joined the board of the Emergency Family Assistance Association (another Community Foundation grantee), and describes Executive Director Julie Van Domelen as a friend and “an amazing, energetic leader.”
“We were shocked to learn in the TRENDS Report that Boulder County has such a weak tradition of giving, because we see a community that has abundant wealth and enormous needs,” she continues. “Among other concerns, there’s unbelievable poverty and many homelessness families right at our doorstep.”
That’s why the couple goes beyond volunteerism and civic engagement: they give. “We don’t think of ourselves as wealthy,” Julie says, “and I never imagined we’d have a Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation. But that’s exactly what we ended up doing.
“It’s a small fund, but it’s an easy way to be thoughtful and effective in our giving.”
Adds Lenny, “We like the idea of this mechanism for local giving, and that the foundation creates opportunities to meet like-minded people, and learn more about the work of local nonprofits. Joining the Community Foundation both financially and psychologically gave us a stepping stone to get to know our community.”
“We also believe it’s really important to support the operations of the Community Foundation,” says Julie, “so we made a bigger donation this year.” And so can you!
