When Daniel J. Bader received his first real paycheck after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology, his mother immediately asked him: “Where are you going to give some of that money?”
His entire family, he said, had always been involved in charity and volunteer work.
“It’s something I believe in,” Bader, 45, recently told the Chronicle during a phone interview. “It’s important for one’s own mental health and it makes your life seem much more balanced.”
As the president of the Helen Bader Foundation, named after his late mother, Bader has been able to continue her — and his family’s — commitment to public service and philanthropy.
“The foundation is a tribute to our mother,” explained Bader, who grew up in Milwaukee and attended Riverside High School. “She was a social worker and left her resources to help others, and we wanted to make sure we could really honor her. We wanted to carry the value of tzedakah into the real world.”
Since its inception in 1992, the Helen Bader Foundation has awarded more than $152 million in grants in the following program areas: Alzheimer’s and Aging, Early Childhood Development in Israel, Jewish Life and Learning, and Sankofa-Youth Development, which assists low income children in Milwaukee.
In recognition of the foundation’s staggering contributions, Bader will be honored with the 2007 Tribute Award from State of Israel Bonds, to be presented during a luncheon on Monday, July 30, at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.
According to Betsy and Michael Green, general chairmen of State of Israel Bonds, Bader was a natural choice for the award.
“Dan is respected by all who work with him,” they said. “One thing about Dan Bader is, what you see is what you get. He is caring and intelligent; he is creative and humble.
“He embodies the words of the Torah, in that if you save one life, it’s as if you save the world. Dan Bader has saved many, many lives.”
The work the foundation does in Israel, the Greens added, shares the same goals as Israel Bonds.
“The Helen Bader Foundation’s work in Israel goes hand in hand with the work and goals of the Israel Bond organization — to build the state of Israel, to provide infrastructure, and to ensure a strong economy so that all business enterprises and all people can thrive.”
Where the need is
The Helen Bader Foundation has thus far spent $23 million on programs in Israel that specifically focus on children (aged 7 and younger) who are poor, part of new immigrant families or who have developmental disabilities.
“That’s where we felt the need was,” said Bader, who lives on the East Side with his wife, Linda, and their three children. “There isn’t a lot of funding for children with special needs. Many can’t walk, talk, or feed themselves.”
Bader also notes that the foundation provides funding for poor children in Jewish, Muslim, and Christian areas.
“That’s the way we’ve been doing it for a long time,” he said. “They are all poor areas, regardless of religion. We’re one of the few funders in Israel that end up in poor Muslim, Christian and Orthodox Jewish communities.”
In addition to his responsibilities at the foundation, Bader is currently chairman of Granite Microsystems, Inc. in Mequon and the director of Cedarburg Pharmaceuticals, based in Grafton.
He also serves on the boards of many local and national organizations, including the Greater Milwaukee Committee for Community Development, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, The National Center for Family Philanthropy, and the UWM Foundation, among others.
In 2006, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee conferred an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his efforts to improve the quality of life in the city.
In addition to honoring Bader and the foundation, the Israel Bonds luncheon will feature guest speaker Ron Dermer, the Minister for Economic Affairs at the Israel Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The luncheon will be held on Monday, July 30, noon (registration at 11:30 a.m.) at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center. Couvert is $45 per person, dietary laws observed. For more information or to register, by July 20, call 414-351-1777.
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