Our Founding partner, Robert Feder, was recently awarded City & State Reports’ Corporate Social Responsibility Award in Real Estate, Housing and Construction. The award recognizes Mr. Feder’s long time service to the community on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations, often as chair or president, including White Plains Hospital, Stellaris Health System, Legal Aid Society of Westchester County, Purchase College Foundation, White Plains Housing Authority and White Plains Community Action Program. Throughout his career, public service has been an integral part of Robert Feder’s practice.
Here are some of his thoughts on giving back to the community:
Q: What nonprofit or philanthropic issue are you involved in?
A: The three key areas I’m involved in are higher education, healthcare and legal services for the indigent.
Q: How did you get involved in these causes?
A: Partly by volunteering, partly by being asked.
After a while, several of these organizations asked me to join their boards or, in the case of Legal Aid, become its president, I think because it was a natural for me to go from working on legal matters to matters of policy.
Q: Why are you passionate about the causes you’re a part of?
A: Because they are all terribly important. Higher education fulfills the function of improving our future society. Healthcare is obvious. Legal services for the indigent is a matter of humanitarianism – so many indigent people face legal issues, both civil issues such as landlord/tenant, and criminal matters, and don’t have the resources to be adequately represented. Particularly in criminal matters, I believe society owes people adequate representation. When you’re going to accuse someone of a misdemeanor or felony and threaten them with incarceration, they need the best defense they can get.