Boys Girls

Alex Von Furstenberg’s Pledge To The Boys & Girls Club

In December, the Watts/Willowbrook Boys & Girls Club received a special donation from the Diller-von Furstenberg Family in the form of a $50,000 commitment. This commitment will help support the new Symphony Orchestra program, as well as sustain other Club activities that are put on to both educate and inspire the youth in the community.

An Admirer of the Program

Alex von Furstenberg met with Executive Director Les Jones last fall to find out more about the organization and its programs. After seeing everything that the program has accomplished already, he felt strongly that it needed continuing support, particularly in a time of economic difficulty. As the key objective of the organization is helping youth, von Furstenberg did not feel that the youth could wait for better economic times.

About the Foundation

Alex von Furstenberg is the Director and Secretary of the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. This is a private family foundation that provides various non-profits with humanitarian support.

The Foundation has been in place since 1999 and focuses on the various concerns and passions of the Diller-von Furstenberg family. One of these passions is the goal to have a positive impact on the world through strengthening communities, with the understanding that when the community thrives, those that live there do as well.

The Foundation looks for groups that improve communities in their entirety or who provide people with opportunities to which they would otherwise not have access. To date, the Foundation has donated over $30 million to organizations like the Boys & Girls Club.

Donation to Provide Hope

According to Jones, the donation made by the Foundation will add value to the community by providing new hope and opportunities to the youth living there. The Club addresses the various needs of all the members; including emotional, social, and physical needs, with the hope of helping them to become responsible and productive adults. Since many of these children have no access to cultural programs, this is one area where the Club attempts to fill the void.

Von Furstenberg’s gift will allow the Club to get the Symphony Orchestra music program up and running. The planned program includes access, appreciation, and instruction in various music types, and students will have the opportunity to receive training on bass, cello, viola, and violins. All of the teachers have been trained via El Sistema, a music outreach program in Venezuela.

The main goal of the Boys & Girls Club is to help inspire youth so that they can reach their full potential to become responsible and caring adults. The club does so by finding ways to enhance the quality of life for its participating members through programs like the Symphony Orchestra music program. The Club focuses on the disadvantage and strives to combat the negative influences of the urban environment. Thanks to donations like the one made by von Furstenberg, the program has been able to maintain a positive influence in the surrounding community.

About the Author

Learn more about Arrow Capital Management, which was founded by Alex von Furstenberg, and stay abreast of the firm’s current investments spearheaded by Alex von Furstenberg.