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HE'HIST SOCIETY 1500 R ST LIKCOLH NE 6 8 5 0 8 - 1 6 5 1
Serving Nebraska and Eastern Iowa for more than 75 years Vol.LXXV
No. 42
Omaha, NE
16 Tammuz, 5758
Million dollar plan marks Livingston Foundation's 50th
Milton S. Livingston "We plan to give away a million dollars in 1998." With these words, Bob Kully, President of the Livingston Foundation, disclosed how the Foundation proposes to observe its 50th anniversary. "The Foundation, founded in 1948 by Milton S. ' and Corinne Livingston, has donated millions of dollars during its 50-year existence, principally to Jewish causes in the Omaha area, but never has it given as much as a million dollars in one year," saidKnlly. Grants already awarded in this anniversary year include the Livingston Scholarships, which are administered by Jewish Educational Services, the Young Jewish..Omaha Mission' tojsrael, Israeli 50th Anniversary Mission, the Yale Ricfiards Professional Education Endowment Fund administered by the Jewish Federation Foundation, and the Jewish Federation Campaign. Jewish Senior Services received funds to conduct a feasibility study for an assisted living facility. Grants have also been made to Yachad, the group for developmental^ disabled Jewish Omahans, the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, the Omaha Schools Foundation for Belvedere School and Planned Parenthood. '. Additional grants will be made at the Dec. 1 meeting of the Livingston Foundation. Non-profit .organizations are invited to submit grant requests for the trustees' consideration. Mr. Livingston, a civic leader and philanthropist who died in 1969, left the bulk of his estate, approximately four million dollars, to the Foundation. Through sound management and prudent investment, the Foundation trustees have parlayed the Income from Livingston's bequest into contribu-
July 10,1998
Jewish Family Service to open satellite off ice
Last week, Jewish Family Service opened its first satellite office. In an effort to provide the Jewish community a discreet place for counseling services, the second ; office is located at 13057 West Center Road, Suite 10, announced JFS Director Todd Ephraim. The satellite location will be used to relieve the stress of going to a familiar place to receive counseling, noted its president Gloria Kaslow. "While the services provided by JFS are already confidential, we discovered that many members of the Jewish community may be reluctant to come to so public a place as the Jewish community campus," Kaslow said. Corinne Livingston "This satellite location will provide the same contions of over nine million dollars since 1970, the fidential services, but away from the activity of the earliest year for which records are available. JCC and other Federation Centers of Excellence," "The Livingston Foundation has been a catalyst she added. . .'.. ...--...'.• to the 'study-formation' of new programs and in the JFS has three highly qualified individuals tb'pn*initiation of community campaigns to raise funds vide a wide range of counseling services.; Dr.' for specific projects," according to Murray Newman, a trustee since 1984. "The trustees are Ephraim received his Ph.D in marriage and family extremely proud of the role they have played in ini- therapy. His areas of expertise include families tiating studies with seed money, in funding com- with adolescents, couples' issues and suicide. .' pensation packages, for Jewish professionals, and Nancy Rampey-Biniambw, LMHP, recently in providing, matching funds as incentives for joined the staff at JFS as a therapist and program major capital projects within the Jewish communi- director. She specializes in Attention Deficit ty. This approach is* completely consistent with Hyperactive Disorder or ADD/ADHD and issues of M i l t o n a n d C o r i n n e L i v i n g s t o n ' s p h i l a n t h r o p i c p h i - depression. Rampey-Biniamow comes to JFS after l o s o p h y . " '.' •• ' ',•'•• •• ••• -;u-;'.i •M_i- '' • .... . six'yeaxB'in»a«8uccesaful private practice. '" ;The principal recipients of the Foundation grants Jennifer Meyersdn, MSW, CSW, has been with have been the Omaha Jewish Federation and its agencies. According to Yale Richards, legal counsel the agency for approximately two years and is and Executive Director of the Foundation, experienced in the areas of grief counseling, par$3,790,000 has been given to the Federation's . enting and relationship issues. Meyerson also is in charge of JFS's Adoption Connection,, which hanannual campaign just since 1970. More than $200,000 was given for the resettle- dles all adoption and pregnancy related issues. Dr. Ephraim noted that "this is a great opportument of Russian and Ethiopian Jews and $250,000 has been presented to college students through the nity to really make significant improvement in serLivingston Scholarships. Missions to Israel have vice delivery." He feels the agency will become ; more "safe, yet visible" for the Jewish community. been supported with grants totaling $195,000. "Our primary motivation was to provide a, place In addition, the Livingston Foundation has given $1,638,000 for the development of Omaha's Jewish for individuals and families that would be consid.; community campus! This includes $317,000 to pur- ered both safe and private," Ephraim added.;, chase the site more than 25 yeprs ago, and a 25 The new office will be used by all of the staff to percent matching grant, which amounted to schedule appointments for people who do not wish $795,467, for the construction of the JCC building. to come to the JCC for counseling. Each therapist The Foundation also gave $525,000 for the plan- will schedule his or her own use of the office. . ning and construction of The Rose Blumkin Jewish To schedule an appointment to see one of the JFS Home and the Livingston Plaza apartments. therapists, please call 330-2024. (Continued on page 6) (Continued on page 12)
SWiiton Livingston creates a lasting Segacy by Suzanne R. Singer A testimonial dinner on Sept. 20,1951, honored when he first found it. . Milton Iivingston on the occasion of his 60th birthday. "Throughout my life, I have tried to emulate • After words of praise by close friends, Mr those hardypioneers.In my activities, whether of a business nature, a social engagement, or a civic | Livingston responded with the following story: : ; 'Many years ago, I read about the Klondike gold obligation, I, too, have tried to build the wood pile rush'and the many hard-shelled prospectors that just a little higher than it was when I found it. If were subjected to the ravages of nature in the form in that I have succeeded, if you, my friends and of biting cold and blinding snowstorms as they associates, feel that the wood pile is a little higher, trekked through Alaska in search of the elusive I shall be content and very happy;" . \ yellow dust. To provide protection against these That story was related byti/fr.-Livingston's dose hardships, cabins were built at strategic points friend, Rabbi Sidney H. Brooks, at his funeral, throughout the wilderness so that any prospector June 9,1969. All knew that Milton Livingston had could find a haven of refuge. Outside these cabin tended his wood pile well, for it grew to great ' doors was a wood pile, the logs from which were . heights during.his 78 years. He ensured that it used to keep the cabin warm for as long as the continue to grow by establishing the Milton and ' . weary traveler cared to stay. For the use of this Corinne Livingston Foundation 50 years ago. • \ cabin and the firewood, there was but one obliga- ' ' ' A lifelong Omaha resident, he graduated from .-' tion, and that an unwritten one. Every man was Omaha High School (now Central High) in 1909. expected to replace the logs that he had used and After serving with the Army in World War I, he to build the wood pile a little higher than it was returned to Omaha and started the Auto
Equipment Company. In 1931, he reorganized it into the Major Appliance Company, an electrical appliance distributor. Through the years, Mr. Livingston became .one of the most devoted, committed, tireless leaders in Omaha. He served as President of the Jewish Federation, Temple Israel and Highland Country Club. He was chairman of the Federation's Annual Campaign and of the Israel Bond Drive. His activities were not limited to the Jewish community, as he was President of the Board of Regents of Creighton University and served on the boards of Children's Hospital, the Advisory Board of Lutheran Hospital, and the budget committee of United Community Services. He was a member of the Omaha Planning Board, the Omaha Library Board and the Center Bank. His devotion to his volunteer commitments wasY legendary. According to Rabbi Brooks, he never! \ (Continued on page 12) '