This year, 2019, is the 13th year of the ROI Summit. In the Jewish tradition thirteen is a time of transition, of picking up the mantle and accepting responsibility both on a personal level and as a member of the community. This idea of focusing on both who we are as individuals and who we are within the collective is a connecting thread running throughout ROI Community, and forms the tempo and the timbre, the melody and the rhythm of this magazine. In it we present the stories of thirteen ROIers, a small handful of individuals out of the greater whole, who in the multiplicity of their different interests, origins, and areas of activity represent the vast diversity of the people who make up our network. We bring you their stories to highlight not only these amazing Community members, but also the ways, big and small, that the Community has contributed to each of their journeys.
It is in the nature of milestones that they serve as a good time to pause and reflect, on the road traveled up to this point and on the journey to come. They are also the perfect time to say thank you to those who have made our journey possible. Our thanks, and that of the entire ROI Community, are owed to Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and especially Lynn Schusterman and Stacy Schusterman, whose commitment to the possibility of change and the promise of what we as individuals and as a community can accomplish, never wavers.
Finally, the title of this magazine, Impact, reflects what we as an organization strive for, and what we are proud to see exemplified in the efforts of our Community members. It is also a tribute to Lynn Schusterman, whose vision, care, and concern led, some fourteen years ago, to the establishment of ROI Community, and to Lynn and Stacy’s joint commitment to impact that leads us forward.
It is in recognition of their incredible impact on our lives in particular and on the Jewish people as a whole, and in honor of Lynn’s 80th birthday, that we dedicate this volume to Lynn.
Read about 13 ROIer change makers below.
Photo credit of hero image: Noa Magger Photography
