In early December, a group of about 20 men were inspired and thrilled to have a conversation with legendary business and community leader and philanthropist Stuart Siegel, get a behind-the-scenes tour of the VCU Basketball Development Center and cheer on the Rams for a basketball game.
The night began with a tour of the state-of-the art facility followed by conversation over a kosher dinner, all hosted by Siegel.
JCFR CEO Daniel Staffenberg, said, it was a “fun and inspiring evening for the like-minded leaders.”
He added, “It is critical for the community and Federation to engage with, learn from, and connect are emerging philanthropists—people truly interested in expanding their horizons and finding meaning and purpose in how they impact the world. And who recognize the power of coming together to better themselves and our community.”
One of the attendees, Alistair Bentley, noted, “This event was a wonderful example of the impact philanthropic work can have on the local community. It was inspiring to see how Mr. Siegel was able to use his financial resources and political skills to fund, acquire and build a state-of-the-art basketball facility. Watching the game itself was a great opportunity to see the positive impact of the basketball facilities on the individual players as well as the excitement it brought to the community.
He continued, “A night of VCU basketball was also a fantastic opportunity to meet new members of the local community and strengthen existing relationships. These networking opportunities have already opened the door to valuable opportunities in surprising ways. For example, I met David Galpern who is on the board of Aleph Bet Preschool, and he is helping my wife and I determine if this program will be a good fit for our child. I also have a great experience to share with other participants when I see them in the future.
“This event was also a great reminder of what a wonderful organization the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond is. In several ways, the Federation has gone above and beyond to help my wife (Casey) and I connect with the broader Jewish community since we moved to Richmond in 2020. We are so grateful for events like this for fostering community.
Another participant, Darren Morehead offered,” I was recently invited to participate in a dinner and basketball game with Stuart Siegel along with other young leaders from the Richmond Jewish community. The goal of this event was to engage future philanthropists in our community, and seeing the enthusiasm from one of our most prominent philanthropists was incredible.
Darren continued, “He shared that philanthropy is measured not just in dollars but in time – and our incredible community is built on the shoulders of our donors and volunteers. I walked away from this event with excitement for our future, and a desire to engage at a deeper level – and have begun to do so. It was great to meet so many other young, engaged Jewish leaders who share the same passion to make our community and our world a better place, and we have built connections for life.”
