A former Chair of the Board of The Associated, Bruce Sholk never imagined making a life in Baltimore. Along with his wife Beth Kaplan and their two sons, Henry and Seth, Bruce envisioned Baltimore as a temporary home. Due in part to the strong, thriving Jewish community they found here, Bruce and Beth have built a life filled with professional accomplishment and a commitment to giving back.
They support Jewish causes, as well as educational efforts such as a scholarship program at the University of Pennsylvania, Beth's alma mater.
I prefer to give my time and resources to mostly campus-related work through Hillel so that we can connect young people to Judaism.
I became involved with the Jewish Federation system because my parents were active in synagogue life and I was in USY and then Hillel at the University of Florida. That led to my involvement in the Cincinnati Federation as an adult.
The value of a donor-advised fund for me and my family means flexibility to strategically support organizations, both Jewish and educational, on our terms and timeframe.
We are involving the next generation in philanthropy by giving them the tools to have conversations about giving -- deciding together what causes to support.
One life experience that defines my giving happened during a Young Leadership mission when we took 250 people from Russia to Israel. Though it was more than 20 years ago, I've never forgotten. I saw the impact of a gift.
If I could solve any problem in the world I would have a difficult time selecting one because there is never a shortage of worthwhile causes.
Three words that describe me: Patient. Thoughtful. Committed.
