Newswise — The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS) will receive a $20 million gift from the family of its President, Dr. Albert Willner, to establish and endow the Willner Family Leadership Institute. The announcement was made during the second annual "Science at Sea" cruise for the American Committee's most dedicated supporters.
"The Weizmann Institute is a place where dreams for the betterment of the human condition become realities," Dr. Willner said. "It is very important to me that its future be secure, and I am delighted that my wonderful family shares this commitment."
The Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, is a world-renowned center for science and technology research; for over sixty years, ACWIS has been a major source of its support. ACWIS Chairman Robert Machinist said of the Willner family gift, "This extraordinary act of generosity reflects a longstanding relationship between the Willners and ACWIS. Over the years, the American Committee has benefited tremendously from Al's wisdom. His heartfelt devotion to the people and causes he considers important is an inspiration to all who know him. We are deeply grateful that the Weizmann Institute is one of those causes."
The Willner Family Leadership Institute will focus its efforts in three critical areas " new science and technology; lay leadership and resource development; and science education. Its "Willner Grants for Excellence" will place a strong emphasis on ensuring the continuing vitality of the Weizmann Institute, and on transmitting the intellectual skills and traditions of science to future generations. Possible areas of support include the recruitment of young scientists; new research funds; science teaching; scholarships that will enable youngsters to experience the rigors of scientific research; and the development of strong professional and lay leadership for both the Weizmann Institute and ACWIS.
Dr. Willner, who serves on the Board of Governors of the Weizmann Institute, often credits his late wife, Blanche, with sparking his interest in philanthropy. During their long, happy marriage, they were both active on behalf of ACWIS, and the organization's Palm Beach Region experienced unprecedented growth during the three-year period when he served as its Chairman. The Willners created a post-doctoral fellowship at the Weizmann Institute, and provided a major gift for the Willner Family Research Center for Vascular Biology, which conducts multidisciplinary research that has important implications for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and many other health issues.
After Blanche Willner passed away, her family established an endowment fund in her memory for the benefit of the Weizmann Institute; over sixty additional gifts were soon made by friends and acquaintances. Later named "The Dr. Albert Willner and Blanche Willner Philanthropic Endowment Fund," it will now support the Willner Family Leadership Institute. Along with his children, Dr. Joseph Willner and Dr. Jane Bloomgarden, and their spouses, Dr. Judith Willner and Dr. David Bloomgarden, Albert Willner is a member of the American Committee's President's Circle, which acknowledges the organization's most generous donors.
Dr. Willner is a retired orthopedic surgeon, and was a Professor of Orthopedics at the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry. He was Chief of Services at the Crippled Children's Hospital of New Jersey, and was its President for many years. Active in Jewish, educational, and humanitarian causes, he has provided meaningful support for the Israel Museum, the Anti-Defamation League, New York University (where he received his undergraduate degree), New York Medical College (where he obtained his M.D.), the New York University School of Medicine, the Julliard School, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Tufts University, Brandeis University, the Jewish Communal Fund of New York, the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Boca Raton Community Hospital, the Genetic Disease Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and the Boys and Girls Club of New York. Many of the family's charitable gifts have been in the form of scholarships because, as Dr. Willner explains, they seek to fund "not bricks and mortar, but education, opportunities for young people, a better future for the world." At the Weizmann Institute, Russian immigrant graduate students have benefited from scholarships created by the Willners.
This gift for the Willner Family Leadership Institute helps inaugurate the Weizmann Institute's new Global Partnership for Excellence in Science, a fundraising campaign that expresses a vision of the future in which scientists and philanthropists join together to do work that could one day eradicate disease, end hunger, and create new technologies that will improve the quality of life. As a physician, a lay leader of ACWIS, and a benefactor, Albert Willner has embodied the spirit of that vision for many years. The Willner Family Leadership Institute will influence the course of groundbreaking scientific research for generations to come.
The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science (ACWIS), founded in 1944, develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, one of the premier scientific research institutions. The Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel is a center of basic interdisciplinary scientific research and graduate study, addressing crucial problems in technology, medicine and health, energy, agriculture and the environment for the benefit of humanity. For additional information, please visit http://www.weizmann-usa.org.
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