I enjoy helping and making a difference.

Friday eve involved a celebration of making a small difference for charities selected by the Kings-FDR Tolerance Foundation, the charitable arm of FDR Lodge 613 Knights of Pythias. Throughout the year we raise money from social and other events. We raised funds at Halloween and Sweethearts Dances I ran with my friend Eric and a New Year’s Eve Party that I ran with CPA Ira Spiegel, a member of Gotham First and our Foundation VP. Super Bowl boxes coordinated by Ira raised additional funds; several Gotham members support the pool and a few won cash.  A card party run by our incoming president rounded out the fundraising.

One event in August remains and possibly by the time your read this, all the tickets will be spoken for. As Gotham runs a now sold-out gathering Thursday, August 17 at Citifield as the Mets host the Yankees, our Foundation hosts a group the night before, Wednesday August 16, also in the Coca Cola Corner, with the net proceeds supporting our charities (tickets are $85pp). Shelly and I look forward to both games.

As Foundation president I presided over a meeting earlier this month to allocate what we raised. We made one change which I strongly support.

Several years ago, my son was awarded a generous Grand Lodge (of New York) scholarship supported by its Humanitarian Fund; of late much of the fundraising for the Fund was raised and earmarked to support veterans and servicemen, certainly a worthy cause. As a result funds for the scholarship risk diminution; our lodge and Foundation set an example for other lodges in the order and their Foundation by earmarking a donation to support the Grand Lodge Scholarship.

Other donations supported, MS, Hewlett House (for recovering cancer patients), Knights of Pythias Diabetes Research Association, Pythian Camp which supports summer camps for needy youngsters (My client and friend City Councilman I. Daneek Miller and former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz are camp alums), and a general allocation to the Humanitarian Fund.

We also awarded two small scholarships to support two worthy students, one a child of a member, the other a grandchild of a member.

Ira and I turned the foundation leadership over to a new president and vice president going forward for the new year and we look forward to the good works continuing under the new team.