Achieva | Cecil and David Rosenthal Memorial Fund

Cecil and David Rosenthal Memorial Fund

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Memorial gifts impact lives

Following the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue, the family of victims Cecil and David Rosenthal designated Achieva as a recipient of monetary donations made in the two men’s memory. Initially, over $325,000 was donated, with contributions coming from nearly 1,500 individual donors from 40 states, four countries and three Canadian provinces.
 
The Rosenthal brothers were well known in their community of Squirrel Hill. They embraced their community, and their community embraced them back - with open arms and love. To ensure donations made in their memory were protected and used in a manner consistent with the example set by Cecil and David Rosenthal and their community, the Achieva Board of Trustees created a new Fund in which all existing and future donations received in memory of David and Cecil will be placed.

The “Cecil and David Rosenthal Memorial Fund” is used to support community engagement activities pursued by people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. "It's comforting to know that the memory of my brothers will live on through the Memorial Fund, helping people with intellectual or developmental disabilities find and keep good jobs in their community and pursue meaningful activities that are important to them," said Michele Rosenthal, sister of Cecil and David Rosenthal.  Future fundraising efforts by Achieva will help to maintain and grow the Fund so that the legacy of Cecil and David will live on through the financial help provided to other people with disabilities. 

The Fund will also be used to honor future recipients of the “Cecil and David Rosenthal Community Award” with a $1,000 gift. Achieva presented the inaugural award at its “Awards of Excellence” ceremony on December 11, 2018 at the Sheraton, Station Square. Both of Cecil and David Rosenthal’s sisters, Michele and Diane Rosenthal, accepted the award on behalf of their brothers. Annually, the award will be given to a person with an intellectual or developmental disability who – by virtue of how they live their life – has become an integral part of their community. “For Cecil and David, being part of the community was not something they needed to think about. It was their life and that was the way they lived it," said Diane Rosenthal.
 

Cecil and David Rosenthal Memorial Fund FAQs

The Rosenthal brothers were well known in their community of Squirrel Hill. They embraced their community, and their community embraced them back - with open arms and love. Following the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue, the family of victims Cecil and David Rosenthal designated Achieva as a recipient of monetary donations made in the two men’s memory. To ensure donations made in their memory were protected and used in a manner consistent with the example set by Cecil and David Rosenthal and their community, the Achieva Board of Trustees created a new Fund in which all existing and future donations received in memory of David and Cecil will be placed. The Cecil and David Rosenthal Memorial Fund supports community engagement activities pursued by people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Eligible applicants are people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, including Autism. 

The Fund is limited to applicants in specific counties within Pennsylvania. These counties are Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lawrence, Venango, Washington, and Westmoreland.
The Cecil and David Rosenthal Memorial Fund was created to support community engagement activities pursued by people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). In keeping with the way the public embraced and included Cecil and David in various facets of daily life, the Fund will award grants to help other people with IDD live a life of personal significance.
Yes- the Fund is limited to specific counties within Pennsylvania. These counties are Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, Lawrence, Venango, Washington, and Westmoreland.

There is an online application to be completed for all requests through the Fund. 
Each application should include the completed request, a letter of support from a professional providing support and services to the applicant, and an invoice or estimate of cost for the requested item or services. 
 

There is no cap on the requested amount at this time. However, only a limited amount of available funds can be dispersed. We do ask that it be realistic with the needs of the applicant. 

As of now, we can accept requests on an annual basis. However, this may change in the future based on the program’s needs. 

Only completed applications are considered for team review. Once the request is ready to proceed, the turn around for determinations is 10-15 business days.
 

The purchase of the approved item(s) occurs soon after the determination email is processed.

The Community and Charitable Trust Coordinator will work with the purchaser to process the purchases as soon as possible. The applicants or the person applying on the applicant’s behalf will be contacted when this occurs.

If you are interested in applying to the Cecil and David Rosenthal fund, visit our application page. 

If you have any questions, please contact Community and Charitable Trust Coordinator- Jennifer Stoyer at 412-995-5000 ext 493 or jstoyer@achieva.info. 

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Love Like The Boys LogoWe can’t make sense of the events at the Tree of Life but we can choose how we react to them. 
 

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