Who We Are
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 March 2024, we awarded $1,348,000 to 59 organizations, bringing our total awards over 13 years to over $8.3 million to 95 organizations.
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 arm of the BallenIsles Charities Foundation which promotes increased awareness of, and opportunities for, community service and volunteering within Palm Beach County by members of BallenIsles. Each year hundreds of volunteers pack and distribute food to the hungry, collect footwear and clean shoes and sneakers for distribution to those in need, assist in Habitat for Humanity builds, collect gently used medical equipment and household items to be placed back in circulation, among other activities.
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 home 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. It remained JDM 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, a 3,000 sq. ft. Learning Center, Practice Grounds and an 18-hole putting course, 20 tennis courts (including a 500-seat stadium court), 9 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, Vice President/Treasurer
- Jody Passov, Vice President
- Chere Goldstein, Vice President
- Carl Ekstein, Secretary
- Allen Hirsch, Director
- Diane Brill, Director (BICA)
- Linda Greenhouse, 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 & Residential Development
- Allen Hirsch, Community Service
- Ken Horner, Governance
- Jody Passov, Grants
- Joel Schlesinger, 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!
Linda Abrahamson | Andrea Abraham | Barry Abrahamson | Debbi Abramson | Vickie Abrutyn | Carol Adelson | Jack Adelson | Doris Albirt | Harry Albirt | Melody Alstodt | Paul Altieri | Susan Amster | Sharon Anderson | Tracy Anderson | Mikki Andrade | Lana Anker | June Anton | Amy Arlein Ken Arlein | Judy Auerbach-Adamo | Carlo Badioli |
Bob Bart |Ann Barth | Robert Barth | Barbara Baumstein| Dave Bencze | Nancy Beren | David Berkowitz | Joyce Berkowitz | John Bilodeau | Martha Bilodeau | Bill Blandy | Margie Block | Jim Bloom | Judy Bloom | Howard Blum | Gene Bolton | Judie Brandt | Aimee Brash | Diane Brill | Morty Brill | Eva Brisman | Lori Brockhaus | Sunny Brody | Caren Brooks | Jerry Brown | Iris Burke | Lester Burke | Linda Burke | Lois Burke | Michael Burke | CJ Butcher | Magda Cabezas | Michael Cantor | Kyle Caparosa | Tess Capuano | Patti Caruso | MaryAnn Champlin | William Champlin | Michael Chess | Michael Clifton | Cara Close | Diann Cohen | Herb Cohen | Don Cohn | Laura Cole | Cathy Coleman | Paul Constantine | Nancy Cook | Karol Costa | Natalee Cuccioli | Rekha Dange | Vikas Dange | Joan Daniels | Ron Daniels | Gail Danto | Denise DeRiggi | Mihoh Dolan | Lauren Dowd-Shedlock | Frankie Edenzon | Carl Ekstein | Geri Elias | Gretchen Farmer | Paula Feirstein | Anita Feldman | Carl Feldman | Jerry Feldman | Joanne Feldman | Sarah Femiano | Jutta Ferrer | Melanie Fishman | Barbara FitzGibbon | Carolyn Frank | Fran Freeman | Mark Freeman | Debbie Friedberg | Barry Friedenberg | Ira Friedman | Barbara Frishberg | Stephen Frishberg | Sara Fuchs | Marsha Funk | Steve Funk | Randie Galler| Susan Gallinson | Lori Garon | Ron Gartner | Diane Gillings | Gail Goldberger | Maureen Goldfarb | Charles Goldman | Julie Goldman | Barbara Goldstein | Chere Goldstein | Bonnie Gravett | Zee Jay Greenspan | Melanie Greenstein | Ron Grodsky | Abbe Groffman | Caroline Groffman | Marianne Guerra | Michelle Haddad | Colleen Haggerty | Preston Halperin | Lois Harmon | Lynn Heck | Fran Heller| Betty Herman | Sandy Hilcoff | Stephen Hilcoff | Allen Hirsch | Miriam Hirsch | Ken Horner | Anna Hunderfund | Jim Hunderfund | Judie Hunt-Brandt | Gayle Jacobs | Bea James | David James| Beverly Jones | Larry Jones | CoCo Joos | Leasa Joos | Roma Josephs | George Joy | Jan Joy | Ron Kanagaki | Paul Karofsky | Maggie Katzenberg | Arthur Kaufman | Susan Kaufman | Nancy Kessman | Sam Khanna | Karen Kiefer | Larry Kiefer | Fay Kippie | Leon Kirschner | Myrna Kirschner | Herb Kishter | Maggie Kishter | Jill Kiviat | Ron Klein | Debbie Kleinberger | Ellen Krantz | Richard Krantz | Richard Krim | Carla Kwitko | Jon Lachs | Beryl Lamster | Mel Lamster | Allan Landau | Paula Landau | Terri Lander | Wendi Langer |Frances Lashinsky | Marvin Lava | Ari Leach | Melissa Leach | Samantha Leach | Ron Lee | Al Leizman | Ellen Lemoine | Priscilla Leslie | Marsha Levey | Laura Levin | Malcolm Levine | Suzanne LeVine | Wendi Levine | Andria Lewis | Arlene Lewis | Burt Lewis | Marty Lewis | Karen Lieberman | Jeff Linder | Lynn Lippman | Dedee Lovell | Arlene Loveman | Sharon Luckman | Jose Lugo | Debbie Mann | Maryann Manning | Randi Margolin | Lorraine Mari | Jon Markoulis | Chops Marmelstein | Karen Mascarenhas | Linda Mauskopf | Ann McCarthy | Tom McMahon | Ed McMenamy | Nadine Melniker | Sue Metzger | Steve Metzman | Stacy Milner | Russel Miron | Diane Mittenthal | Joan Mobley | Jonathan Molner | Steve Monheim | Eileen Montalbano | Flo Montana |Kay Moore | Bill Morris | Tara Moser | Carol Moss | Bernie Munley | Judie Muntner | Michael Muntner | Marni Murphy | Amy Musher | Elsie Myers | Leyah Namoff | Lawrence Newman | Anthea Novak | Brenda Noviello | Joe O’Hagan | John Ostrowski | Lee Ostrowski | Don Osur | Howard Passov |Jody Passov | Elaine Patterson| Ellen Paulson | Laura Pelican | Doris Penn | Jesse Penn | Donna Penyak | David Perlman | Laura Perlman | Barb Perry | Dana Peterson | Kent Peterson | Vittoria Petruzziello | Amy Pfau | Carolyn Phillips | Marlene Pierce | Rubin Pikus | Sharon Pikus | Vicki Pines | Pieter Potgieter | Ed Powers | Nathan Rabhan | Pat Rado | Bobby Rappaport | Sheila Reichenstein | Marilyn Rice | Marcia Rizika | Jack Robbins | Myrna Robbins | Nancy Roberts | Sheila Roffe | Art Roffey | Alan Roman | Lenny Romeo | Gerry Rosenthal | Richard Rosenthal | Grace Ross | Lynda Rothstein | Doug Rouff | Karen Rouff | Laureen Rubino | Patty Ruggirello | Sue Sack | Jaimye Sadicario | Steve Sadicario | Brenna Sadowsky | Dori Salamone | Thomas Salamone | Onge Saxon | Ronnie Saxon | Joel Schlesinger | Lisa Schor | Elise Schulte | Susan Schuppe | Laura Schwartz | Phyllis Schwartz | Irv Seldin | Marlene Senders | Jane Shapiro | Paul Shapiro | Sharon Shapiro | Donna Shaw | Phyllis Shaw | Ron Shaw | Cindy Sheitelman | Debbie Sheldon | Ari Sherman | Melissa Sherman | Susan Shoham | Nancy Shuman | Rich Shuman | Rich Shuman | Linda Silver | Alan Silverman | Hope Silverman | Sandy Singer | Rob Sipzener | Linda Slucker | Barbara Smith | M Smith | Micki Sokol | Vickie Solomon | Karen Spiegel | Niles Spier | Susan Steele | Lois Steinberg | Barbara Steinbrenner | Kenneth Steingold | Nikki Steingold | Jo Steinhart | Rob Steinhart | Linda Steinman | James Sternberg | Mike Stevens | Bob Stiehler | Susan Stoddart | Kevin Stubblebine | Cheryl Sugar | Fran Sugar | Suzanne Sussman | Bonnie Swartz | Connie Tamburo | Jennifer Taylor | Doreen Testa | Manley Thaler | Ira Theodore | Nan Theodore | Joan Tofias Cohen | Ellen Tomkin | David Trachten | Tom Trimble | Tricia Trimble | Linda Trummer-Napolitano | Andi Uiberall | Marty Ungar | Susan Ungar | Dina Valla | Susan Viviani | Chet Vogel | Suzy Vogler | Janice Wadge| Amina Walker | Francine Walker | Arleen Wayte | Terry Weiner | Bonnie Weinstein | Deborah Weinstein | Sue Weinstein | Barbara Weiss | Chuck Weiss | Lorraine Whalen | Julie Widett | Judie Wyckoff