Philanthropy | A Wonderful Feeling: Joan and Dr. Bart Levenson on their Philanthropic Mission

By Laura Shoemaker | Photo by Nancy Guth

November 2021—More than 20 years ago, Joan Levenson received a letter from a local nonprofit delivering early childhood education and working to strengthen families that was asking for her support. It seemed like they did great work, so she decided to send a small donation. 

Later, driving on Orange Avenue, south of Dr. Martin Luther King Way, she noticed a white building with a colorful sign and the name Children First. It was the same organization she had sent the donation to that was doing so much to help children and families.

Joan pulled her car into the parking lot and went inside to learn more. 

MOVED BY THE CHILDREN FIRST MISSION

Joan was introduced around a few classrooms and learned that not only did the agency serve children and their families, but it was the sole provider of Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the entire county. She too believed that all kids and families deserve stability and a solid foundation in life and found the attention on strengthening the entire family together incredibly important. 

Soon, Joan returned for another tour with her husband, Dr. Bart Levenson. The pair made more visits, and each time, became increasingly moved by the programs at Children First. 

Since then, the Levensons have grown into steadfast supporters of the agency. Their impact on the organization and the vulnerable population it serves is wide-ranging. After making their first gift in the year 2000, the two eventually deepened their philanthropy through support of Children First’s annual fund, but knew they had more to offer.  

Through the agency’s award-winning Families First Institute, Joan and Bart have invested in classes aimed at the entire family’s well-being, such as the Nurturing Dads Initiative. Their philanthropic support helped Children First to design the course just for dads, making it possible for them to attend with no barriers. Nurturing Dads has now graduated over 2,000 fathers and even earned the 2019 Be More Knowledgeable award for Educational Outreach by WEDU PBS, selected from esteemed organizations across 16 counties.

Committed to transforming as many lives as possible, the couple helped to fund the opening of Children First’s 14th location in the Sarasota Housing Authority. While the agency serves hundreds of children and their families annually, there is still a waitlist for services, especially infants and toddlers. Seeing this need in the Newtown community, Children First partnered with the Housing Authority to convert one of its portables into two brand new classrooms. 

Although it needed to undergo significant renovations to be a safe and nurturing environment for infants, Joan and Bart did not hesitate to act. Their support helped create a beautiful space for 16 babies who had previously been on the wait list.

Now with 15 sites across Sarasota County, Children First ranks in the top 1% of all Head Start programs in the nation. They serve 775 families a year; nearly 89% of whom live at or below the Federal Poverty Line of $21,960 for a family of 3.

This year, the couple became Diamond Circle members through their support of Children First’s 60th anniversary challenge match, helping the agency exceed their goal and raise over $2.3 million for its comprehensive services. This support is crucial in supporting the organization’s mission and has aided many families who have been critically affected by the ongoing pandemic. 

FROM UPSTATE TO THE GULF COAST

Bart and Joan married 60 years ago, after first meeting on a blind date in Rochester, New York. At the time, Joan was completing a master’s degree in Education; Bart was pursuing post-graduate training on his way to becoming an orthodontist. 

The couple lived in Rochester for thirty-five years, successfully raising a daughter and enjoying fulfilling careers. In the early 1990s, they vacationed in southwest Florida. Inspired by the sunshine and their daughter’s recent move to nearby St. Pete, the idea soon bubbled up: they would retire to Sarasota. 

Since their arrival, Joan and Bart have turned their passion for helping others into part of their philanthropic plan. Their commitment to helping those in need extends from vulnerable children and families to older adults and people in recovery, as well as arts and culture organizations and Jewish charities.

The Levenson’s support of these many organizations has grown in several capacities, due in large part to the unique structure of their annual giving. As members of Children First Forever, the agency’s legacy society, they have made an investment that ensures hundreds of children and families have access to the services they need to thrive and opportunities for success—now and into the future. 

As they are financially secure and their family is small—just the two of them and one grown daughter—they feel they have more than they need to support themselves in retirement. 

“Our only priority is charity,” says Bart. The couple works with a financial advisor and local community foundations to help organize their philanthropy. “We don’t live high on the hog and would rather give the money away then spend it on ourselves. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

Bart is particularly enthusiastic about two different types of gift structures that benefit the organizations they support: donor-advised funds (DAF) and charitable gift annuities (CGA). 

While creating their DAF provided the Levenson’s an immediate tax benefit, it also helped grow their initial investment and even assisted the couple in recommending grants to charities like Children First with the earnings, enhancing their impact. 

Bart and Joan also have multiple CGAs and describe them as “self-funded pension plans” that aid them in retirement. “Including nonprofits in our retirement investing plan is liberating, and for people that don’t have a pension plan, a gift annuity is a wonderful vehicle to supplement or provide for all of your needs.”

But the most important benefit to the Levenson’s? Making philanthropy part of their retirement plan and shifting focus to what they can do for others.

TO LEARN MORE about Children First and how you can make an impact, please contact Jessica Rogers, Vice President of Philanthropy: jrogers@childrenfirst.net or 941-953-3877 ext. 1115.