THE GIVING PLEDGE /
the Pershing square
foundation
SANDY HOOK CENTER
Hailing from Manhattan, we are proud to call the Hampton’s home as well as Newtown, CT.
We’ve fought abuse awareness. and prevention since 1992, and have since incorporated gun reform advocacy after Sandy Hook, and when the nation was asked to do an Act of Kindness for Newtown. We also hadn't left its side since..
We prescribe to the simple philosophy of:
“"To whom much is given, from him much is expected"
During a friend’s birthday party, the man cooking my steak was Bill Ackman- at first he was just “Bill”. Growing up well, and having been a part of the "Industry" for some 40years, you never discuss business with friends, and you never ask what people do- or at least I don’t... It wasn’t until we were out back by his pool did we truly connect. It was at his bar-b-q, and he cooking my steak that I became fully aware of his standing. He asked me about my banking, and even about my modest foundation. Bill then shared his work and his philanthropy and also his commitment to The Giving Pledge.
'if that was a measuring contest, I came up massively short. But, it wasn't. We were two human beings with mutual friends.
Within hours of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, we also learned of similar massacre in Dunblane, Scotland.
In 1996, a lone gunman shot and killed 16primary school children and one educator at a Dunblane primary school. Within a year, the U.K. changed gun laws.
America would do the same.
“Bill, hi it’s John. Listen, it’s not about you and it’s not about me. We need to go to Newtown, and build a Sandy Hook CenTer,”
Bill put me in touch with his non profit arm of Pershing Square- The Pershing Square Foundation.
Bill Ackman is one of the original founders of Bill and Melinda Gates 2010 The Giving Pledge. He and 40 of the worlds most influential have personally pledged 1/2 their personal wealth to philanthropy.
Sandy Hook CenTer was a 2012 recipient of such generosity.
We’ve fought abuse awareness. and prevention since 1992, and have since incorporated gun reform advocacy after Sandy Hook, and when the nation was asked to do an Act of Kindness for Newtown. We also hadn't left its side since..
We prescribe to the simple philosophy of:
“"To whom much is given, from him much is expected"
During a friend’s birthday party, the man cooking my steak was Bill Ackman- at first he was just “Bill”. Growing up well, and having been a part of the "Industry" for some 40years, you never discuss business with friends, and you never ask what people do- or at least I don’t... It wasn’t until we were out back by his pool did we truly connect. It was at his bar-b-q, and he cooking my steak that I became fully aware of his standing. He asked me about my banking, and even about my modest foundation. Bill then shared his work and his philanthropy and also his commitment to The Giving Pledge.
'if that was a measuring contest, I came up massively short. But, it wasn't. We were two human beings with mutual friends.
Within hours of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, we also learned of similar massacre in Dunblane, Scotland.
In 1996, a lone gunman shot and killed 16primary school children and one educator at a Dunblane primary school. Within a year, the U.K. changed gun laws.
America would do the same.
“Bill, hi it’s John. Listen, it’s not about you and it’s not about me. We need to go to Newtown, and build a Sandy Hook CenTer,”
Bill put me in touch with his non profit arm of Pershing Square- The Pershing Square Foundation.
Bill Ackman is one of the original founders of Bill and Melinda Gates 2010 The Giving Pledge. He and 40 of the worlds most influential have personally pledged 1/2 their personal wealth to philanthropy.
Sandy Hook CenTer was a 2012 recipient of such generosity.
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In August 2010, 40 of America’s wealthiest individuals and couples joined together in a commitment to give more than half of their wealth away. Created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett, the Giving Pledge came to life following a series of conversations with philanthropists around the world about how they could collectively set a new standard of generosity among the ultra-wealthy.
“This is about building on a wonderful tradition of philanthropy that will ultimately help the world become a much better place.” – Bill Gates
The Giving Pledge is a simple concept: an open invitation for billionaires, or those who would be if not for their giving, to publicly dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. And it is inspired by the example set by millions of people at all income levels who give generously–and often at great personal sacrifice–to make the world better. Envisioned as a multi-generational effort, the Giving Pledge aims over time to help shift the social norms of philanthropy toward giving more, giving sooner, and giving smarter.
Those who join the Giving Pledge often write a letter explaining their decision to engage deeply and publicly in philanthropy, as well as describing the philanthropic causes to which they are devoted. Signatories give to a diverse range of issues including poverty alleviation, refugee aid, disaster relief, global health, education, women and girls’ empowerment, medical research, arts and culture, criminal justice reform, and environmental sustainability.
While originally focused on the United States, the Giving Pledge quickly saw interest from philanthropists around the world. In February 2013, the pledge went global with the addition of signatories from Australia, Germany, India, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
Today, the pledge includes 204 of the world’s wealthiest individuals, couples, and families, ranging in age from their 30s to their 90s. Globally, they represent 23 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland and Taiwan), Cyprus, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Monaco, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Giving Pledge also provides a forum for some of the world’s most engaged philanthropists to discuss challenges, successes and failures, and how to be smarter about giving. People who have joined the pledge are united by a shared commitment to learning and giving, and they have opportunities to gather throughout the year to learn from experts about how best to leverage their philanthropy to address some of the world’s biggest challenges.
April 17, 2012
Dear Warren,
Karen and I are delighted to join you in the Giving Pledge, and commit at least half—I expect that we will commit substantially more than half—of what we have to charity. It is much easier to be generous if you have more than you need, so this is not a difficult thing for us to do. That said, I don't think being charitable is innate. In my experience, it is learned from the examples of others.
My earliest memories include my father's exhortations about how important it is to give back. These early teachings were ingrained in me, and a portion of the first dollars I earned, I gave away. Over the years, the emotional and psychological returns I have earned from charitable giving have been enormous. The more I do for others, the happier I am. The happiness and optimism I have obtained from helping others are a big part of what keeps me sane. My life and business have not been without some decent size bumps along the way, and my psychological health and wellbeing have made managing these inevitable challenges much easier.
While my motivations for giving are not driven by a profit motive, I am quite sure that I have earned financial returns from giving money away. Not directly by any means, but rather as a result of the people I have met, the ideas I have been exposed to, and the experiences I have had as a result of giving money away. A number of my closest friends, partners, and advisors I met through charitable giving. Their advice, judgment, and partnership have been invaluable in my business and in my life. Life becomes richer, the more one gives away.
In college, I had the opportunity to read John Rawls, and learn his methodology for determining how to organize the world. It made sense to me then, and still does. Rawls advised that you should imagine yourself in what he called "the Original Position." Pretend that you have not yet been born, and don't know to what family or in what country or circumstance you will find yourself. He argued that the world should be organized from such a vantage point. In other words, I believe the fairest distribution would require something along the lines of the Giving Pledge. Rawls proves that charitable giving is the right thing to do from an objectively fair vantage point.
I am not a particularly religious person, and believe that my limited time on earth is all that I am going to get. And I have lived with that understanding, doing my best to extract as much out of life as I can. I get tremendous pleasure from helping others. It's what makes my life worth living.
We are incredibly grateful and honored to join you in the Giving Pledge.
Sincerely,
Dear Warren,
Karen and I are delighted to join you in the Giving Pledge, and commit at least half—I expect that we will commit substantially more than half—of what we have to charity. It is much easier to be generous if you have more than you need, so this is not a difficult thing for us to do. That said, I don't think being charitable is innate. In my experience, it is learned from the examples of others.
My earliest memories include my father's exhortations about how important it is to give back. These early teachings were ingrained in me, and a portion of the first dollars I earned, I gave away. Over the years, the emotional and psychological returns I have earned from charitable giving have been enormous. The more I do for others, the happier I am. The happiness and optimism I have obtained from helping others are a big part of what keeps me sane. My life and business have not been without some decent size bumps along the way, and my psychological health and wellbeing have made managing these inevitable challenges much easier.
While my motivations for giving are not driven by a profit motive, I am quite sure that I have earned financial returns from giving money away. Not directly by any means, but rather as a result of the people I have met, the ideas I have been exposed to, and the experiences I have had as a result of giving money away. A number of my closest friends, partners, and advisors I met through charitable giving. Their advice, judgment, and partnership have been invaluable in my business and in my life. Life becomes richer, the more one gives away.
In college, I had the opportunity to read John Rawls, and learn his methodology for determining how to organize the world. It made sense to me then, and still does. Rawls advised that you should imagine yourself in what he called "the Original Position." Pretend that you have not yet been born, and don't know to what family or in what country or circumstance you will find yourself. He argued that the world should be organized from such a vantage point. In other words, I believe the fairest distribution would require something along the lines of the Giving Pledge. Rawls proves that charitable giving is the right thing to do from an objectively fair vantage point.
I am not a particularly religious person, and believe that my limited time on earth is all that I am going to get. And I have lived with that understanding, doing my best to extract as much out of life as I can. I get tremendous pleasure from helping others. It's what makes my life worth living.
We are incredibly grateful and honored to join you in the Giving Pledge.
Sincerely,
