donor spotlight - Our House Grief Support Center

DONOR SPOTLIGHT
When asked to describe his philanthropic philosophy in
a single sentence, Len Lipman is quick to answer: “I like
helping organizations satisfy their unfulfilled dreams.” He is
doing this tenfold for OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center.
Leonard M. Lipman, M.D. is a retired endocrinologist. Clad
in Levis and shirt with Warby Parker opticals sitting on his
nose, Dr. Lipman personifies a down to earth California guy
who checks out books from the public library and frequents
Vidiots, Santa Monica’s beloved movie rental store.
But Dr. Lipman is anything but retiring. After a once in a
lifetime liquidity event, Dr. Lipman launched into his next big
role - as a philanthropist. In 2012, he established the Leonard
M. Lipman Charitable Fund at the Jewish Community
Foundation.
When Dr. Lipman was introduced to OUR HOUSE Grief
Support Center, he knew little about the
organization. After a single house tour
of the West LA center, he was quickly
impressed by the scope of programs
offered and asked every nonprofit
organization’s dream question, “What is
on your wish list?” Dr. Lipman immediately
knew he wanted to make a significant
donation to OUR HOUSE. Through a multi-year grant from
the Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund, OUR HOUSE would
be able to fulfill a long-standing wish to launch the Satellite
Program Expansion to provide grief support groups in
Spanish.
“On the day I got a
telephone call from
her brother asking
me to be a pallbearer
at her funeral, I
realized that I hadn’t
seen my friend in
six months and I
realized that this was
because I was very
uncomfortable. I
have regretted that
to this very day. I
never got over my
feelings of guilt
Leonard M. Lipman,
because I didn’t
know how to deal
with a dying person or her grieving family.”
M.D.
Years later, this experience inspired a gift that would offer
support to people, who like him, would benefit from grief
support and education.
Dr. Lipman wants potential
donors to know that OUR HOUSE
services are extremely valuable,
special and unique. “There is an
entirely different feeling that
accompanies a gift that you
know will be used to do something much needed,” said
Dr. Lipman.
Programas
Satélites en
Español
Dr. Lipman is hopeful for all that lies ahead. “Ten years
ago, I made a list of the top ten things I wanted to
do when I retired and put it in my wallet.” Traveling,
photography, and
continuing his adult
education are among the
ten, but top on the list
feeds his greatest passion
- the opera. “I have always
wanted to become a
member of the Speakers
Bureau of the Los Angeles
Opera… and now I am.”
OUR HOUSE is a new part
of the LA Opera Community
Circle. Volunteers received
discounted tickets to “The Marriage of Figaro,” and will
attend after learning about the opera from Dr. Lipman’s
opera talk.
“There is an entirely different feeling that
accompanies a gift that you know will be used
to do something much needed.”
“The grant has already been transformational,” said Michele
Prince, OUR HOUSE Executive Director. “Within two weeks
of hiring the program’s Clinical Coordinator, the first Spanishlanguage group for adults began. Now, one year after the
program’s launch, over 100 individuals have received grief
support.”
“It is very gratifying to fund something that has become
so successful,” said Dr. Lipman. But while this gift is giving
him the opportunity to fulfill his charitable ambitions and
discover his charitable capacity, it is also very personal.
When he was just 28 years old, a very close friend of
Dr. Lipman’s died from cancer.
As he continues to discover his philanthropic footing,
his next big investments are his legacy and enjoying
retirement. The Leonard M. Lipman Charitable Fund has
been established to grant gifts beyond his lifetime and
his children will have the opportunity to foster their own
philanthropic identities. OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center
is indebted to Len Lipman and his generous vision to help
us continue our community expansion.
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