Who We Are

Who We Are topper 2

Our Mission

The mission of BallenIsles Charities Foundation is to render financial and in-kind support to civic and not-for-profit organizations within Palm Beach County that provide programs and services in the following broad categories – Civic, Health & Human Services, Environment, and Education – designed to assist, encourage and promote the well-being of the residents and the communities in which they are located.

Our History

BallenIsles Charities Foundation

The BallenIsles Charities Foundation was established in 2011 with the goal of Making a Difference to local not-for-profit organizations in areas surrounding our residential community located in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The launch of the Foundation underscored a commitment to those civic and tax-exempt organizations that make such a difference, not only to our own residents, but to so many of our neighbors in the surrounding cities, towns and communities within Palm Beach County. Our donors recognized that by working together they could make a significant positive impact providing financial and in-kind support in the following broad categories: Civic, Health & Human Services, Environment, and Education. In our first eleven years, the BallenIsles Charities Foundation, Inc. has awarded over $5.7 million to 91 local area organizations.

Through the years the Foundation has been fortunate to attract a growing number of donors and volunteers. That has provided us the opportunity for Making a Difference in new ways. In 2019 we made our first impact grant and provided the funding for the purchase of a 40-foot refrigerated truck which was acquired by one of our local food pantries. In a typical year, the truck will rescue well over one million pounds of food to be provided to locals experiencing food scarcity. In 2020 we established a Community Service Committee which promotes increased awareness of, and opportunities for, community service and charity volunteerism within Palm Beach County by members of BallenIsles.

BallenIsles Country Club

BallenIsles is highly regarded as a unique, private residential golf and tennis community with a distinguished history and home to some of the world’s top professional athletes. Located in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, BallenIsles was originally the h

ome of the PGA National Club from 1964-1973. It played a major role in golf history as it was the home of PGA of America. During that time, its golf courses were used for many major tournaments including the PGA Championship and the PGA Seniors’ Championship. In 1973, the Club was renamed JDM Country Club. So it remained until 1988 when the Club’s name was changed to BallenIsles Country Club and a multi-year plan was instituted to develop a private country club community. With over 1300 acres of magnificent landscaping, 3 golf courses, 23 tennis courts (including a 500-seat stadium court), 4 pickleball courts and a state-of-the-art Fitness Center and Spa, BallenIsles is currently home to over 1,500 families with more than half of the residents residing year-round in Florida. To learn more about BallenIsles, please go to either our Country Club website at (www.BallenIsles.org) or our Community Association website at (www.BallenIslesCommunity.com).

Board of Directors

Our BallenIsles Charities Foundation Board of Directors sets the overall focus and guidelines for all grants awarded by the Foundation and selects the organizations to receive Foundation grants. The Board also establishes the timing and overall agenda for all fundraising events. The Board has 8 Directors including one representative each from boards of the BallenIsles Country Club (BICC) and the BallenIsles Community Association (BICA).

  • Mark Freeman, President
  • Ken Horner, VP/Treasurer
  • Jody Passov, VP
  • Chere Goldstein, VP
  • Arthur Roffey, Secretary
  • Allen Hirsch, Director
  • Diane Brill, Director (BICA)
  • Carl Ekstein, Director (BICC)

Committee Chairs

The BallenIsles Charities Foundation has 7 standing committees: Communications, Community Reception, Community Service, Corporate Development, Governance, Grants and Resident Development. This volunteer team of residents works together with the Board year-round to manage the ongoing work of our Foundation.

  • Chere Goldstein, Communications and Resident Development
  • Allen Hirsch, Community Service
  • Ken Horner, Governance
  • Jody Passov, Grants
  • Joel Schlesinger, Jack Robbins, & Gerry Rosenthal, Corporate Development

Volunteers & Committee Members

We couldn’t have done it without you! Since we began more than 10 years ago, over 200 BallenIsles residents have volunteered to help plan, coordinate and staff all the various activities of the BallenIsles Charities Foundation. And with the development of our Community Service program, dozens more have given their time and effort to bring BallenIsles Charities Foundation Helping Hands directly where they are needed. You’re the best!

Andrea Abraham | Barry Abrahamson | Vickie Abrutyn | Carol Adelson | Jack Adelson | Doris Albirt | Harry Albirt | Melody Alstodt | Paul Altieri | Sharon Anderson | Tracy Anderson | Mikki Andrade | Lana Anker | Amy Arlein | Ken Arlein | Carlo Badioli | Ann Barth | Bob Barth |Barbara Baumstein | Nancy Beren | David Berkowitz | John Bilodeau | Martha Bilodeau | Bill Blandy | Margie Block | Jim Bloom | Judy Bloom | Howard Blum | Gene Bolton | Judie Brandt | Aimee Brash Diane Brill | Eva Brisman | Lester Burke | Lori Brockhaus |Sunny Brody | Jerry Brown | Iris Burke | Linda Burke | Lois Burke | Michael Burke | CJ Butcher | Magda Cabezas | Michael Cantor | Kyle Caparosa | Tess Capuano | Patti Caruso | William Champlin| Mary Ann Champlin | Michael Chess | Cara Close | Joan Tofias Cohen | Don Cohn | Laura Cole | Cathy Coleman | Paul Constantine | Nancy Cook | Karol Costa | Natalee Cuccioli | Rekha Dange | Vik Dange | Joan Daniels | Ron Daniels | Gail Danto | Denise DeRiggi | Mihoh Dolan | Frankie Edenzon | Carl Ekstein | Geri Elias | Gretchen Farmer | Paula Feirstein | Anita Feldman | Carl Feldman | Jerry Feldman | Joanne Feldman | Jutta Ferrer | Melanie Fishman | Barbara FitzGibbon | Carolyn Frank | Fran Freeman | Mark Freeman | Barry Friedenberg | Ira Friedman | Barbara Frishberg | Stephen Frishberg | Sara Fuchs | Marsha Funk | Steve Funk | Randie Galler | Susan Gallinson | Ron Gartner | Diane Gillings | Gail Goldberger | Charles Goldman | Julie Goldman | Barbara Goldstein Chere Goldstein | Bonnie Gravett | Ron Grodsky | Zee Jay Greenspan | Michelle Haddad | Preston Halperin | Fran Heller | Betty Herman | Sandy Hilcoff | Stephen Hilcoff | Allen Hirsch | Miriam Hirsch | Ken Horner | Gayle Jacobs | Bea James | David James | Larry Jones | Roma Josephs | Jan Joy | George Joy | Ron Kanagaki | Sam Khanna | Paul Karofsky | Maggie Katzenberg | Arthur Kaufman | Susan Kaufman | Karen Kiefer | Larry Kiefer | Fay Kippie | Herb Kishter | Maggie Kishter | Jill Kiviat | Richard Krim | Carla Kwitko | Ron Klein | Ellen Krantz | Richard Krantz | Beryl Lamster | Mel Lamster | Allan Landau | Paula Landau | Terri Lander | Wendi Langer | Frances Lashinsky | Marvin Lava | Al Leizman | Laura Levin | Priscilla Leslie | Marsha Levey | Wendi Levine | Malcolm Levine |Suzanne LeVine | Andria Lewis | Arlene Lewis | Burt Lewis | Marty Lewis | Jeff Linder | Lynn Lippman | Dedee Lovell | Arlene Loveman | Jose Lugo | Debbie Mann | Randi Margolin | Lorraine Mari | Jon Markoulis |Chops Marmelstein | Karen Mascarenhas | Ann McCarthy | Ed McMenamy | Nadine Melniker | Stacy Milner | Diane Mittenthal | Joan Mobley | Jonathan Molner | Steve Monheim | Eileen Montalbano | Flo Montana | Kay Moore | Bill Morris | Tara Moser | Carol Moss | Judie Muntner | Michael Muntner | Marni Murphy | Elsie Myers | Leyah Namoff | Lawrence Newman | Anthea Novak | Brenda Noviello | John Ostrowski | Lee Ostrowski | Donald Osur | Jody Passov | Elaine Patterson | Ellen Paulson | Laura Pelican | Doris Penn | Jesse Penn | Donna Penyak | David Perlman | Laura Perlman | Dana Peterson | Vittoria Petruzziello | Carolyn Phillips | Marlene Pierce | Rubin Pikus | Sharon Pikus | Vicki Pines | Pieter Potgieter | Nathan Rabhan | Pat Rado | Sheila Reichenstein | Marilyn Rice | Marcia Rizika | Jack Robbins | Myrna Robbins | Sheila Roffe | Art Roffey | Alan Roman | Gerry Rosenthal | Richard Rosenthal | Grace Ross | Lynda Rothstein | Doug Rouff | Karen Rouff | Laureen Rubino | Patty Ruggirello | Brenna Sadowsky | Dori Salamone | Thomas Salamone | Onge Saxon | Ronnie Saxon | Joel Schlesinger | Lisa Schor | Elise Schulte | Laura Schwartz | Phyllis Schwartz | Irv Seldin | Marlene Senders | Jane Shapiro | Paul Shapiro | Sharon Luckman Shapiro | Donna Shaw | Phyllis Shaw | Debbie Sheldon | Nancy Shuman | Rich Shuman | Alan Silverman | | Linda Silver | Hope Silverman | Sandy Singer | Rob Sipzener | Linda Slucker | Barbara Smith | M Smith | Micki Sokol | Vickie Solomon | Karen Spiegel | Niles Spier | Lois Steinberg | Barbara Steinbrenner | Kenneth Steingold | Nikki Steingold | Rob Steinhart | Mike Stevens | Susan Stoddart | Kevi Stubblebine | Cheryl Sugar | Fran Sugar | Bonnie Swartz | Connie Tamburo | Jennifer Taylor | Doreen Testa | Manley Thaler | Ira Theodore | Nan Theodore | Ellen Tomkin | David Trachten | Tricia Trimble | Linda Trummer-Napolitano | Andrea Uiberall | Marty Ungar | Susan Ungar | Suzy Vogler | Janice Wadge | Arleen Wayte | Terry Weiner | Bonnie Weinstein | Deborah Weinstein | Sue Weinstein | Barbara Weiss | Chuck Weiss | Lorraine Whalen | Julie Widett | Judie Wyckoff

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