As part of an ongoing series about our fundholders, we asked sisters Kathy Bissett and Meryl French to tell us about their family’s philanthropy. Both are advisors to the Landmann Family Fund.
We were always taught by our parents that the two essential things to give your children, to the extent possible, are health and education. Those values have been deeply instilled throughout our lifetimes and our children hear those echoes. For us, philanthropy is a family affair that is influenced by many life experiences.
Sadly, we were touched closely by the pain of losing cherished family prematurely, and the opportunity to give to causes close to our hearts helps make some sense and goodness out of the pain. In this spirit, supporting cancer causes, particularly breast cancer, is our top giving priority.
Our parents Conny and Fred Landmann immigrated to the USA from Holland and Germany, respectively. Their experiences before and during Hitler's rise to power were clearly life-altering, and in our father’s memoirs he wrote openly about the atrocities he hoped would never be repeated. Because of this deep connection, Holocaust-related relief and social justice concerns are a big part of our family's giving.
About 15 years ago, our parents underscored their commitment to philanthropy by giving each family member the opportunity to choose one or more charities to receive a grant. Thus, everyone, including the teenaged grandchildren, could share what their gift meant to them. The tradition still continues each year - what a sense of empowerment and what a legacy!
We are very happy that VCF Senior Philanthropic Advisor Lisa Cashdan meets regularly with our mother; our father has passed away. Lisa has become a trusted family friend and she not only helps our mother with grantmaking paperwork, but helps her make thoughtful decisions on her giving.
