“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
William Butler Yeats
From creating eBooks to supporting workforce development programs to helping build an education pavilion, Phillips Charitable Foundation grants have contributed to numerous educational endeavors throughout 2019. It is one of our key funding areas. Committed to solving problems and helping others achieve their full potential we believe that education is critically important. It is a catalyst that opens opportunities and gives students the knowledge and confidence to pursue their dreams. As the Yeats quote says, “education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Learning opportunities are everywhere to those who have that fire to learn.
One of our final funding series for 2019 was focused on the all-important and more traditional approach to education, high school and college. For many, a quality education is just not affordable. We wanted to do our part to help those who are trying to help themselves yet cannot succeed without financial support. A total of $125,000 was granted to help students with this goal.
Landon High School
Howard Phillips Jr. was a 1944 graduate of Landon High School in Bethesda, Maryland. As their mission statement describes, Landon School prepares talented boys for productive lives as accomplished, responsible and caring men whose actions are guided by the principles of perseverance, teamwork, honor and fair play. This was certainly evident in Howard Phillip’s life. In honor of Mr. Phillips, $25,000 was granted for need-based financial aid to students including student fees, books, supplies, and/or tuition.
Lehigh University
Howard Phillips Jr. was a 1950 graduate of Lehigh University. Lehigh is a private research university offering world-class academic opportunities on a beautiful campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Phillips Charitable Foundation granted $25,000 to Lehigh University in honor of Mr. Phillips. Funds will be used solely for need-based financial aid to students for fees, books, supplies, room and board, and/or tuition.
Jerry Rabinowitz Scholarship Fund
Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz was a highly regarded and respected family physician who was loved by his patients, physicians, residents, and staff. He is well known for his work caring for HIV patients and patients at UPMC Shadyside, Pittsburgh, PA for treating them with dignity and respect. He was a 1977 graduate from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Rabinowitz died along with 10 other people in a massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018.
Friends and practice partners of Dr. Rabinowitz agreed that the best recognition for their friend and partner would be an advancement of his professional vision – his devotion to family medicine and his patients. They started an endowed scholarship as a tribute.
We at Phillips Charitable Foundation are drawn to Dr. Rabinowitz’s compassion and commitment to the community. We granted $25,000 to the Jerry Rabinowitz Memorial Residency Scholarship Fund. The funds will be awarded annually to a third-year family medicine resident that embodies Rabinowitz’s devotion to patient care and community outreach. The hope is that it will enable a family medicine physician to pursue an opportunity that would otherwise not be available. Despite the senseless act that ended Dr. Rabinowitz’s life, his legacy will live on.
Iona College
Iona College, located in New Rochelle, New York, is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence in the tradition of the Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. Their mission is to make a positive impact on the lives of others and to move the world.
A grant of $25,000 was awarded to Iona College for the Br. Devlin Emergency Fund. This fund provides aid to students who are experiencing immediate financial crisis. The contribution is to provide support for student fees, books, supplies, transportation, room and board, tuition, or other emergency needs.
Patricia Napolitano, our Manager of Grants and Due Diligence, is a 1985 graduate of Iona College. Iona College prepared her well for a successful career in Law Enforcement and Due Diligence that eventually led to her current position at Phillips Charitable Foundation.
Fordham University
Fordham University, located in New York, NY, is committed to the discovery of wisdom and the transmission of learning through research and through undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality. Fordham is a Jesuit, Catholic University, that strives to send their students into the world with wisdom, experience, morality, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
The President and Founder of Phillips Charitable Foundation, Eileen Gross, graduated from Fordham University in 1983. Fordham provided the education and skills that helped launch Eileen’s successful career in business. The core Jesuit values instilled during her time at Fordham were shared by Howard and were a guiding force throughout her life and career.
A $25,000 grant was awarded to Fordham University to be used for financial aid to undergraduate students in the Gabelli School of Business. The contribution is to provide support for student fees, books, supplies, room and board, and/or tuition.
“I was fortunate to get a scholarship when I went to Lehigh University and Princeton…. Somebody was kind enough to spend their money to educate people that they would never get to know. That’s what I think philanthropy is about.”
Lee Iacocca
We are proud to support each of these quality institutions that are doing their part to help students achieve their goals and dreams.
