forest foundation

Guest Blog: Ken Stolman

The following was written by Ken Stolman, a new fellow working in New York City:

As the Co-Director for the birthright israel Alumni Association, Ken Stolman currently seeks to create a dynamic national network of young Jews through the birthright israel Alumni Association (BRIAA).

Born and raised in Chicago and having graduated from Northwestern University in 2001, Ken moved to New York City after graduation and began his work experience with The Gift of New York (TGNY): a post-9/11 philanthropy that provided free access to New York’s entertainment for the families of the victims of the tragedy. The purpose of the program was to use arts as a way to heal the pain that the family members endured. The very successful 18 month program provided more than 65,000 tickets to 90% of the eligible families(14,000 people), and TGNY formally closed in the summer of 2003. At that time, intrigued with philanthropic ventures, Ken proposed the creation of an alumni network for birthright israel, a new element to the program that would unite the tens of thousands of participants who shared a common bond. As an alum of the program, Ken wanted to give back and develop a framework for the many passionate returnees to connect to the community, the program, and to each other. Currently, the BRIAA consists of strong chapters around North America, including: Chicago, NY, LA, Miami, DC, Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and Toronto, and continues to expand to new cities.

Interested in philanthropic strategic planning, Ken is planning to get his MBA in Marketing to better contribute to the nonprofit world.

posted by forest foundation @ 2:54 PM