Jimmy Lustig is an active philanthropist. He and his wife created the Lustig Family Foundation.

Month: November 2018

Jimmy Lustig Nonprofit Spotlight Wiesenthal Center

Nonprofit Spotlight: The Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance

The Museum of Tolerance (MOT) opened in Los Angeles in 1993. Beyond an institution devoted to the preservation of objects, artifacts, and documents, the MOT is designed to be an experience that immerses the audience in the knowledge of tolerance and what it means, a Museum that encourages individuals of all backgrounds to examine their assumptions and value systems and to engage in a dialogue that facilitates growth and change.

 

The creation of the Museum of Tolerance

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a respected and internationally renowned Jewish human rights organization, named to honor the late Simon Wiesenthal, a famous Nazi hunter, began to plan for The Museum of Tolerance with input from the representatives of the world’s most influential and prestigious museums and cultural institutions.

 

These think tank sessions proposed a fresh perspective, a Museum that would provide a unique experience to the museum-goer by encouraging thought and conversation, molding attitudes, and offering information on the arena of tolerance and human understanding.

 

Simon Wiesenthal believed that the idea of preserving the past was imperative, yet, as necessary as that honoring and recording is, it must motivate and inspire us to take action in the present. The Museum of Tolerance should serve to prevent hatred and genocide from occurring to any group, both in contemporary times and in the future.

 

And the winner is tolerance!

The MOT has been honored as the recipient of the Global Peace and Tolerance Award from the Friends of the United Nations. This accolade has underscored The Museum of Tolerance’s role as a human rights laboratory and educational center which turns on the fulcrum of inviting guests to understand the Holocaust in its historical context and as viewed through the lens of today.

 

Holocaust education is vitally important because studies had shown that when the MOT was being planned, young people, even as early as the 1980s, were debating if the Holocaust had occurred. This added to the imperative for MOT to present the phenomena of the Holocaust in a way that encouraged the audience to explore, expose and to energize a dialogue that began with one expression of prejudice and genocide and then to extrapolate ideas of tolerance from the lessons learned. To start the work of confronting and uprooting all forms of discrimination is the role that the MOT hopes to instill in viewers.

Jimmy Lustig Giving Tips Holidays

Giving Tips for the Holiday Season

Every year around this time, we start to get bombarded with emails and TV commercials about the newest toys and the best deals on the latest electronics. The holiday season revolves around gifts, both giving and receiving. While it’s a fun way to show your appreciation to those you care about, there is a lot that gets lost. There are millions of people in need who won’t receive any gifts. This year, start a new holiday tradition with your family and give back to someone who needs it.

 

Donate to a toy drive

Donating to a toy drive during the holiday season gives you the direct opportunity to put a smile on a child’s face. The children who benefit from toy drives are children who often would not receive any presents otherwise. While material items aren’t everything, it helps a child to feel as though they fit in with the rest of their peers.

 

Volunteer at a soup kitchen

50 million Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Around the holidays, which largely center on food, that can feel even grimmer. Soup kitchens feed thousands of people and are mainly volunteer based. Set aside some time this year to visit one in your community and serve a meal to those in need. If you have a family, bring everyone along. It serves as both a great bonding event and also a reminder to be grateful for how fortunate you are.

 

Walk or run in a charitable race

Not only is exercise good for your health, but your exercise can also benefit the health of many others. Around the holiday season, many races, marathons and walks benefit different charities. By signing up to participate and helping to raise money, you’re directly benefiting the supported cause.

 

Foster an animal

Just as there are millions of homeless Americans, there are millions of homeless animals too. This year, take one in, even only temporarily. Many workers and volunteers spend less time at animal shelters around the holidays to be with their families, which means animals receive less care and attention. Fostering an animal helps to reduce overcrowding in shelters, which means they can take in other animals. It also helps them to become familiar with living in a home with other people, which they may never have before. Even if you don’t adopt the animal, you still helped to make a difference in the animal’s life.

 

Jimmy Lustig Love Of Philanthropy Children

How to Foster a Love of Philanthropy in Children

If you’ve made a commitment to living a philanthropic life, it’s important to instill those same values into your children and other children in your family. Some research studies show that children already have a deep-seeded instinct to share and help others. Because children have a natural inclination to give, getting them involved with philanthropy early on is the perfect opportunity to further build upon those instincts.

 

Be a role model

Children naturally look up to their parents and other adults in their life. Research supports that children are more likely to be generous when at least one parent displays that behavior to them. In addition to letting your children learn by example, it’s also important to have conversations with them about giving. One study found that teenagers were 18 percent more likely to donate money to a charity if a parent had also made one in the past year. If the parent had talked with their child about giving, while also donating, the child was 33 percent more likely to give.

 

Help them understand the need

Children need to understand that their help is required to feel compelled to help. Teach your children to be empathetic to others’ situations. Help them make a connection with those in need. Volunteer at a homeless shelter and let your children talk to the people staying at the shelter. This helps your children to make a real connection with the people they’re helping, which inspires them to give.

 

Help them see their impact

Research supports the theory that adults feel more generous with their giving when they see the effect that it has on others. It makes sense that the same feeling would occur in children. However, monetary donations are harder for children to understand and see the direct impact of. For younger children, finding more direct ways to get involved will help them feel more connected with giving. Take them to the grocery store to pick out a few healthy items and then go and drop those off at the food bank.

 

When children get older, you can volunteer at a nursing home together or participate in a park cleanup. This will help your children to form strong connections with the people they’re helping, which will encourage them to keep helping. Once your children can understand the concept of money, let them read the thank you letters you get from donating and help them learn where that money is going and why you feel compelled to give.

 

Encouraging children to be generous and caring will, in turn, help them to grow up to be kind and compassionate adults. Instilling a love of generosity early on will encourage them to be philanthropic citizens for the rest of their lives.

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