Giving For The Arts, Education

Miami Herald, The (FL)
1997-04-30
Section: Editorial
Edition: Final
Page: 10A

A boost for FIU and community service.

If giving is more satisfying than receiving, then Dorothea and Steven Green must know satisfaction well. Long before luminaries praised civic service and volunteerism at the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia, the Greens have been major supporters of good works, both nationally and here on their home grounds in South Florida.

But the Greens may well have outdone themselves with their $2.5 million gift to Florida International University, announced yesterday. Matching state funds will double the money that FIU receives because of the Greens.

FIU plans to use the $5 million to create two endowments: a $4 million fund to aid FIU's art museum with its acquisitions, exhibitions, emerging-artists program, and lecture series, and a $1 million fund to benefit the visual-arts collections of the FIU libraries.

Of course, this is only the latest example of the Greens' generosity. Their Green Family Foundation, managed by the United Way of Dade County, annually sponsors the local American Values Award, which recognizes 10 public-service employees for their volunteer work and rewards them each with $5,000. The foundation has funded everything from AIDS assistance to scholarships for young dancers to playgrounds in South Dade.

Having made a fortune in real estate and investments -- including Samsonite luggage and Culligan Water -- the Greens now enrich South Florida, our culture, and its civic spirit by sharing their wealth so generously.

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