Over the past year and a half, I have been a part of one of the most exciting philanthropic events ever—a gift of $250,000,000 to the University of Colorado from two wonderful people, Bill and Claudia Coleman. The gift will create the CU Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities with the following mission: “To extend the knowledge and practitioner base, to implement information systems and to develop adaptive assistive technologies, both physical and virtual, to serve the entire community associated with significant cognitive disabilities.”

Already, calls and letters have been pouring in from all over the country, expressing deep gratitude for the vision and generosity represented by this exceptional gift. Initially, the research will be focused on the communities of the cognitively disabled affected by Down’s syndrome, autism, fragile X and other congenital conditions, but part of the brilliance of the vision is the extension of the research applications to those who acquire cognitive disabilities later in life, through traumatic brain injury, stroke or Alzheimer’s, for example. This gift has the potential to change the world.

I met Bill Coleman in September of 1999 when he gave a lecture in a freshman computer science class. He and Claudia started making significant gifts, (investments) in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, to seed fund projects, to see which would bear fruit. We described it as venture philanthropy. They had a vision-- to improve the quality of life for the community of those with cognitive disabilities-- and they saw the possibilities of developing technologies for that purpose. The investments continued, and the project scope grew with a multi-million dollar commitment. By the spring of 2000, the collaborations expanded to include researchers at CU’s Health Sciences Center.

In October of 2000, Elizabeth (Betsy) Hoffman, the new president of the university, came to Aspen to meet the Colemans. They were sponsoring a symposium that brought together experts to explore the marriage of the medical, clinical and educational worlds with the world of technological innovation. It was magical. The events of the weekend catapulted the Colemans philanthropic intentions to a new level. With President Hoffman’s leadership, the Colemans recognized they could realize their dream, marshalling the intellectual and creative talent of the university and its partners, to solve an important and pervasive social problem.

Within two weeks of the conference, a model of a system-wide institute was formulated, and President Hoffman asked the Colemans to endow it. They agreed! Two hundred and fifty million dollars.

Over the next weeks, we worked hard to formalize the partnership, and on January 16^th, the University of Colorado held a press conference to share the excitement. Governor Owens compared this gift to the legacy of Andrew Carnegie who made libraries available in communities across the country. The executive director of the ARC of the US, an organization representing the community of those concerned with mental retardation, praised the Colemans for their generosity, compassion and commitment. One of the reporters who interviewed the Colemans has a child with severe cognitive disabilities and expressed his personal thanks for bringing their resources to bear for those without a voice. And Bill and Claudia Coleman began to feel the power of making a difference.

Not everyone can make a 9 figure gift. In fact, this gift is the largest ever to a public university. It is a significant portion of the Colemans personal wealth. And that’s the point. It isn’t just about how much you give. Giving with a purpose, and giving generously based on your own capacity to give, is what philanthropy is all about.

Send your questions about making charitable gifts to Enid Ablowitz, Features, Daily Camera, 1048 Pearl St., Boulder, 80302 or e-mail???/Fax????

Ablowitz, the Asst. Dean for Advancement at CU’s College of Engineering is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and has been working with donors for over a decade. She is writing a book called Making Money Matter: 8 Steps to Thoughtful Giving.

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