Alexander von Furstenberg and The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation have granted a $10,000 endowment to the American Tall Ship Institute, an educational non-profit based in Oxnard, California targeted at youth ages 9-18.

Founded in 2007 by Captain Stephen Taylor, the mission of ATSI is to “encourage positive youth and community development through environmentally aware, curriculum-based, ocean-centered programs.”  Using ships as teaching tools to connect youth to the environment, ATSI partners with local youth service organizations, school districts and gang intervention programs.

Alex von Furstenberg has long supported educational and environmental programming in Southern California.  Alex recently pledged multi-year support to environmental organization Heal The Bay, and has sponsored day camps organized by Surfer’s Healing, another local non-profit that fuses a passion for the ocean with children’s causes. 

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For more on the American Tall Ship Institute, please visit:

http://americantallship.org/mission.html

Alexander von Furstenberg has pledged $10,000 to Surfers Healing, a California-based non-profit founded “to enrich the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing.”

Surfers Healing has been hosting surfing day camps for autistic children and their families since 2000.   Backed by donations and staffed by volunteers, camps are provided free of charge to children, with private contributions ensuring that the participants are adequately supplied with wetsuits, surfboards, rash guards, life vests and other required equipment.  The volunteer staff, most with a decade of experience, help to ensure a safe and comfortable day for children new to the ocean.

“It is my pleasure to support this cause” said Alex von Furstenberg, an avid kite-surfer and Malibu resident.  “I’m very impressed with Surfers Healing’s unique initiative, and subscribe to their belief that the ocean can serve as a site of respite and empowerment.”

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Alexander von Furstenberg is the Director and Secretary of The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, which has supported children’s causes and environmental programming since 1999.  Alex von Furstenberg and The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation recently announced a partnership with non-profit organization Heal The Bay to sponsor Malibu’s only comprehensive beach water quality program, the Beach Report Card. 

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For more on Surfer’s Healing, please visit:

http://surfershealing.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surfers-Healing/163567001547#!/pages/Surfers-Healing/163567001547

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Ali Kay, co-founder and designer of Keep Me Co., left, Alex von Furstenberg, co-managing member and chief investment officer of Arrow Capital Management LLC, second from left, Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive officer of Expedia Inc., second from right, and Sydney Shapiro arrive for morning sessions at the 28th annual Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., on Friday, July 9, 2010. Photo courtesy of Matthew Staver/Bloomberg.

http://topics.wsj.com/subject/m/Management/3200/photos/51134ba091a240c48319ea22e2183392

 A personal gift from Alexander von Furstenberg and Alexandra von Furstenberg will fund scholarships and finance special projects at Los Angeles’ Curtis School.  At least $250,000 has been designated as financial aid for students in need.

“My kids are fortunate to be receiving a first-rate education at Curtis School,” said Alex von Furstenberg. “It is important to me that regardless of circumstance, deserving children get a shot at the same opportunity.” 

Alex’s passion for educational opportunity is shared by his family’s Foundation, The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, which has contributed over $6 million in support of charter schools, Universities and educational programs since 1999. 

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The Curtis School “seeks to inspire a love of learning, to promote appreciation of and participation in athletics and the arts, and to instill a strong sense of moral behavior. Curtis nurtures a student’s natural abilities while maintaining that children need direction, discipline, and standards of excellence to thrive. [Curtis’] goal is a sound mind in a sound body governed by a compassionate heart.”

Alex von Furstenberg accepts the 2010 American Art Award

The Whitney Museum will pay tribute Alexander von Furstenberg and The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation for their “sustained commitment to the artistic and cultural heritage of the arts in America” at the Museum’s 19^th annual gala dinner on May 6^th.

The gala signifies the inaugural event at The Whitney’s future downtown site at Gansevoort and Washington Streets in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.  Alex von Furstenberg will be presented with the American Art Award, which will be accompanied by the unveiling of a large-scale collaborative commission from American artists Wade Guyton and Kelley Walker.  The first of three installations in an exhibition collectively titled “Whitney on Site: New Commissions Downtown,” Guyton/Kelley’s work can be viewed publically from the High Line from May 8^th through June 23^rd; subsequent six-week installations by Tauba Auerbach and Barbara Kruger will follow.

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For more coverage of the May 6^th event, please click on the links below:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703674704575234430135310668.html?mod=WSJ_article_RecentColumns

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/whitney-supporters-try-out-a-new-locale/

MSAR is a non-profit, all volunteer organization comprised of Reserve Deputy Sheriffs and civilian volunteers who participate in the search and rescue of lost or injured persons within a 187 square mile section of the Santa Monica Mountains.  The Team is affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and is a member of the Mountain Rescue Association.

Kevin Ryan, a 30-year member of the Team expanded upon MSAR’s volunteer efforts.  “The Team responds to all types of rescues: Lost or missing persons, stranded hikers, downed aircraft and hang gliders, vehicles over the side, brush fires, natural disasters and river rescues.  The Team also goes to schools in the area and gives search and rescue tips to the kids.”

Alexander von Furstenberg’s $38,500 gift has enabled a complete outfitting of MSAR’s lead search vehicle.  Said Ryan, “This contribution will allow our team to fully equip a new rescue truck with all of the tools needed for a search and rescue operation.”

Of his contribution, Alex von Furstenberg said, “I am pleased to help strengthen the efforts of these volunteers who selflessly donate their time in order to assist people in imminent danger.  It is my hope that this equipment will help the Team ensure the safe rescue of all those who find themselves in unfortunate and urgent situations while exploring our community.”  

Alex, an avid kite-surfer and active outdoorsman, resides in Malibu with his family.  In addition to his support of MSAR, Alex recently demonstrated his passion and concern for the well-being of his Southern-California community and its environment by pledging $150,000 over 3 years to sponsor Malibu’s comprehensive beach water quality program, the Beach Report Card.  Backed by Alex’s family’s foundation, The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, and Co-sponsored by the non-profit organization Heal The Bay, the Beach Report Card is California’s only program dedicated to the extensive analysis of water quality along its coastline.

Photo by Nikole Bouchard

On Friday, new signs were installed to mark the naming of one of the High Line’s most beloved features, The Diller – von Furstenberg Sundeck. A generous gift from The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation made this feature possible, and it’s quickly become an extremely popular gathering spot, especially on sunny days and at sunset.

Members of the Diller – von Furstenberg family, including Barry Diller, Diane von Furstenberg, Alex von Furstenberg, and Tatiana von Furstenberg, have long been supporters of the High Line. Visiting from Los Angeles with his children a few weeks ago, Board member Alex von Furstenberg remarked how great it was to see people actually using the space, after so many years of planning. We thank The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation for their generous support of this feature.

Alex von Furstenberg

Alexander von Furstenberg, philanthropist and co-managing member and chief investment officer of Arrow Capital Management, LLC, is donating $150,000 to support Heal the Bay’s beach water quality program, the Beach Report Card, over the next three years. The Beach Report Card is the only comprehensive analysis of coastline water quality in California. Each week, approximately 500 beaches in the state are graded A to F, based on the health risks of swimming or surfing at that location.

Additionally, Alex von Furstenberg has joined Audemars Piguet as a sponsor of La Soirée, a one-of-a-kind benefit event for Heal the Bay and the ONE DROP Foundation. La Soirée includes the Santa Monica premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA and features an exclusive after party on the Santa Monica Pier on October 16th, 2009.

Alex von Furstenberg is actively involved in a variety of philanthropic endeavors; he is the director and secretary of The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation and serves on the board of Friends of the High Line, a private, non-profit partner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation has supported universities, communities, disease research, children, artists, the environment and human rights issues world-wide.

A resident of Malibu and an active kite-surfer, Alexander spends a great deal of time in the ocean, as does his family. After meeting Heal the Bay president Mark Gold and hearing about the funding needs of a critical public health protection service, he immediately made a commitment of time and resources to the Beach Report Card.

Alex received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University in 1993 and resides in Malibu, California, with his family.

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To view the 2009-2010 Heal The Bay Annual Report, please click on the link below:

http://healthebay.org/assets/pdfdocs/brc/annual/2010/HtB_BRC_Annual_2010_Report.pdf