A Passion For Giving Back to Others
Sy and Sheila Herman only moved into Ingleside at King Farm in July of 2020, but they are not new to fundraising and giving back.
Upon their arrival at Ingleside they had an immediate impact. They have given a $100,000 gift designating $50,000 for the Aquatic Center and a naming gift for the jacuzzi; $40,000 for the Resident Supporting Fund; $10,000 for scholarships, a leadership charitable life income agreement; and an additional $13,000 for cultural arts, which includes an underwriting class on memoirs and a Broadway music performance. They also donated another $100,000 in November of 2021 as part of their refundable entrance fee with 85% of it going to the King Farm Scholarship Endowment Fund.
Sy is a Certified Public Accountant and former Director of Accounting for the Federal Systems Division of IBM and was a principal with Arthur Anderson for 13 years as a government contract consultant after serving in the Air Force. Currently, he is an arbitrator for FINRA. He has an LLM degree from George Washington University and was a professorial lecturer at the university.
He says Ingleside at King Farm is everything he ever wanted. “I really love this place,” Sy said. “It’s wonderful being here because everything is close by, there are so many opportunities to be involved and I know that my children are close by.”
Sy swims about every day before breakfast. “They open the pool at 6:00 a.m. and I’m usually one of the first to be there almost every day,” Sy said.
Sy and Sheila feel as though giving back to Ingleside goes a long way to helping others. “I just felt that they were doing such worthwhile work in terms of their policy that no one ever has to leave the community on the basis of financial hardship,” Sy said. “I think the employees do such a fantastic job and I try to support employee scholarships.”
Sy said he owes it all to his wife. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Sheila,” he said. Sy and Sheila are also both involved heavily in volunteer work. Through Sy’s background working for IBM, he says that the company makes a special contribution every year of $500 a person for every volunteer who donates 40 hours of work. “We have at least half a dozen people here who I’ve recruited to help out who are former IBM employees as well,” Sy said.
Sheila has been involved in the Bazaar at Ingleside. At Ingleside she was in a Purim play and a Passover play. She was a successful legal secretary in New York City for a number of years and was ranked third in the city for her stenotype. Sy and Sheila say their new home at Ingleside is perfect for their life. “Everyone is very warm and welcoming,” Sheila said.
We are grateful for everything Sy and Sheila do to inspire others and enrich life at Ingleside!