LAUREN WILNER Third year law students have a full plate and have more than earned an exemption from the question: “So what else do you do?” They are in law school, they are doing plenty! But Lauren Wilner wanted to do more, particularly for the Jewish community that has done so much for her, dating back to her first Birthright trip. Upon graduating from the University of Washington, where she was active in the campus Hillel, she studied abroad in Israel as a Haas/Koshland Distinguished Fellow. “It was an utterly transformative experience,” Lauren says. It exposed her to three of the greatest loves of her life: Jewish learning, Jewish cooking, and her future husband, Adam. Today, back in the Bay Area, as one of the youngest Federation Fellows, she is dedicated to inspiring 20- and 30-something Jews to connect to the community in whatever way best suits them.
I think we need to help people my age have that ‘ah ha moment,’ to get them excited and engaged and able to recognize that there are so many ways for us to get involved. Furthermore, she adds, “We need to start getting involved philanthropically. That doesn’t necessarily mean pledging $50,000 you don’t have, but the fact is there’s a giving gap in my generation and we need to help in any way we can.”
ADELE CORVIN If you ever want to get a good case of writer’s cramp, try typing up all of Adele Corvin’s community and philanthropic endeavors in one sitting. Here’s a sampling: board member and past president of the Jewish Community Federation; president of the Morris Stulsaft Foundation; honorary director of the Institute on Aging; chair of the Board of Directors of Bay Area United Way, the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, and the San Francisco Adult Day Health Network; advisor to several Bay Area hospitals; and, the list continues.... And, yet, this octogenarian with an endless supply of energy remains as tireless, selfless, and visionary a leader as this Jewish community has ever seen. “Being part of the system — on the inside, that is — has given me a first-hand look at the challenges we are facing. And I’m not sure I know what the answers to our problems are, but I know they are not going to get better if people don’t give. Our goal is to keep people healthy, involved and active.”
9