Join me in giving.
Tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that (roughly) means “to heal the world.” Here’s the origin story I heard: In the beginning, God wanted to create a just world, one filled with goodness and loving-kindness. God created a vessel and poured God’s light into it; however, the vessel was too small and it cracked, with the shards leaking into all corners of the world. Each act of human generosity uncovers a piece, and all the pieces together will rebuild the world.
I love this story for a couple of reasons. I like puzzles. And, as a person who values compassion and collaboration, I love that we all have to work together. I love the idea that God needs our help, and I love that each act of goodness — no matter how small — adds together to create the world as it is supposed to be.
I try to share my resources with the causes I believe need to be in the world. Here are three where I share the majority of my time, my money, and my focus: Literary Cleveland, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, and the Eileen Kleinert Memorial Scholarship.
If I’m one of the people on your list of gratitude, I’d love if you could reach out and give to these organizations. It’s a way of sharing your own light with the world. And we need it, especially now.
Eileen Kleinert Memorial Scholarship
My father and I created a scholarship, awarded to a college-bound Communication Arts student at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, to honor the memory of my mother, Eileen Kleinert, for her love of children and for her years of volunteering at the school. My mother was the woman who told me love is the strongest force in the universe, stronger, even, than death.
Since its creation in 2017, we've awarded annual scholarships to deserving students attending schools like Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, and Emory.
Please help me send burgeoning writers to college.
Find a Cure: Bile Duct Cancer
Cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, is a devastating disease that is most commonly diagnosed in an advanced stage, due to a lack of symptoms and its fast-moving effects. Researchers are just starting to understand this elusive cancer. My father and favorite writer, Eric Kleinert, died from this disease in 2017.
The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation’s mission is to find a cure and improve the quality of life for those affected. I mentor caregivers through this organization.
Literary Cleveland is a small non-profit with the big mission of creating a vital, diverse and supportive literary community in Northeast Ohio. Every summer, we host the Inkubator, one of the nation's largest free writing conferences, supporting writers and readers to build bridges, break down barriers, and use the power of words to change ourselves, the city, and the world.
In a city with both a world-class symphony and a functional illiteracy rate of 66% (!), it's humbling to bring together a community of people interested in exploring diverse voices and discovering their own. Literary Cleveland has started a scholarship program as well as writing fellowships to develop writers, amplify voices, and transform our community through storytelling.
I’m the President Emeritus of the Board, and I’d love your help in furthering this work.