Celebration of Legacy
When Nihal and I first began giving our time and financial resources to establish and grow Turkish Philanthropy Funds nearly 20 years ago, we did so knowing the power of a community foundation to channel the generosity of a group of like-minded individuals into real community impact. As founding chairman, it has been my pleasure to watch this organization grow while supporting economic, social and environmental needs in Türkiye and the United States.
We give to TPF, and we give through TPF. It’s been a fulfilling journey by every means. Along the way, we have met many new Turkish-American friends and are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together. Giving back also gave us joy, and meaning in our lives. Looking to the future, we would like to ensure that Turkish-American communities and causes are sustained well many years to come. And for us, the way to achieve that is to support TPF’s endowment so that everyone can find the joy we’ve found within and create their own journey with TPF.
Our commitment to make TPF sustainable marked our planned giving along with other causes that speak to our hearts. Gifts that are planned today and realized years down in the line will ensure that our journey continues. These types of gifts are vitally important, calling to mind the famous quote: ‘The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’”
Witnessing the power of community, and joy of giving back together lead us to building what we’ve experienced in the States in Türkiye, Bolu Bagiscilar Vakfi (BBV/Bolu Community Foundation). Once again, we dedicated our time, energy and means to establish the first community foundation in Turkiye. Choosing Bolu was a tribute to the city where I was born, my way of thanking that community who raised me to be the person I am today. Through TPF, we’ve succeeded in establishing BBV and I am proud to watch the seeds we’ve planted years ago now provide scholarships, empower women and tackle social issues one project at a time. Just like TPF, BBV represents who I am and what I care about, coming together as one and investing in our society.
With Nihal, we invite everyone to discover their passions, learn more about how you can support TPF, and through TPF, and hope that it brings you the same joy that it has brought to us.