Lynn Schusterman and Stacy Schusterman Accept 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Lynn Schusterman (cofounder) and Stacy Schusterman (chair) of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies accept the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy during the formal awards ceremony in New York City on October 13, 2022. The Schustermans were recognized for advancing racial, gender, and economic equity through investments in areas such as K-12 education, democracy and voting rights, gender and reproductive equity, and criminal justice; and for supporting Jewish communities and a secure, inclusive Israel. www.medalofphilanthropy.org, #CMoP

[@amydreher7048]

Lynn Schusterman was my mother's 1st cousin. My sister and I went to The University of Texas together in the '80s with Jay and Lynn Schusterman (two of the three children Lynn has). Jay and Stacy never chose to acknowledge our existence even though we were family and attended the same university at the same time.
Though I feel Lynn and Stacy's philanthropy work is wonderful, there is a dark side to this family. Decades ago, Lynn turned her back on her younger sisters and has not communicated with them since. Her sisters (Jane and Madelynn) are wonderful women with kind hearts and are extremely empathetic to all they have ever come in contact with. I think it has been about 50-years since Lynn has communicated with Jane and Madelynn. Even when Jane was near death in the 90's, Lynn turned her back on her sister. It would have been nice if Lynn sent a get-well card or just called to see how she was doing, but nothing.
Lynn mentions in this video that she has 5 granddaughters. That is not true. Lynn Schusterman has 7 granddaughters. Stacey has 3-daughters, Jay has 2-daughters, and Hal (her son whom she rarely acknowledges exists) HAD two daughters. One of Hale's daughters died of cancer and Lynn was NOT there to help her son Hal find her the best possible care. Hal's daughter (Lynn's granddaughter) succumbed to the cancer. She is buried in Israel. Hal is STILL grieving for the loss of his daughter.
When I was around 10 years old, we visited Lynn at her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I remember there was an elevator in the house that the housekeeper used and a huge trampoline in the backyard. I think this is when my father asked for a job with Charles's company. He had been laid off due to the economy. Lynn and Charles were "unable" or unwilling to help my father even though he had a degree in Engineering. When we received an invitation for Jay's (or Hal's) Bar mitzvah, we were unable to attend or send a gift because my father was out of work. Lynn never communicated with our family ever since then. How heartless and shameful of Lynn! We were "shunned" because my father had lost his job due to the poor economy.
When I reached out to Lynn to let her know my mother had died in Cancun, Mexico in 2014, Lynn said to me, "What do you want me to do about it..." I never forgot that phrase that she said to me. I was grieving for the unexpected loss of my mother while trying to comfort my three daughters (ages 4, 6, and 10). These two women, Lynn and Stacy, are "anti-humans". All they care about is the Schusterman Foundation and their OWN accolades.
Not one person in her extended family does she acknowledge from her Mom's (My great-grandmother Helen Mayer) family. If she would get to know (acknowledge their existence) her family, she would know that her 1st cousin, Leslie (my mother) had degrees in Art, Psychology, and her Master's in Occupational Therapy. She accomplished all of this while having two children and was LEGALLY BLIND. She was a published author and was an incredible advocate for me when the school system in Missouri labeled me as "Mentally Retarded" and "Deaf and Dumb". My TRUE diagnosis was Dyslexia, but back in the 1970's, no one knew how to properly test for that. I could not read, so the educational institution decided to give me their own labels. The same thing happened to Hal, Lynn's son. While my mother advocated for me and worked with me on how my brain worked (how I was able to learn) so I could excel in my academics, Lynn took a different path. Lynn's approach resulted in Hal's eventual academic downward turn which in turn began his struggle with depression and his identity. These items I will not elaborate on as I feel they are too personal to Hal.
I have lived in the same state, Colorado, with Jay Schusterman for 30 years now. I have tried to reach out to him to see if our families could get to know each other, but all I get is crickets. I once talked to Jay's wife on the phone when she answered, but she either never passed on my message to Jay or Jay ignored my call. I personally have never even had a conversation with my cousin in that he ignores my existence for some reason. Lynn has trained her children to ignore family without any reason at all. The family has no idea why. We all have our guesses, but only Lynn knows the real reason. Considering I have only met Lynn once in my life, I am not sure what I could have done to offend her at the age of 10.
Lynn, Stacy, Jay, and Hal, I would like to share some wonderful information about my family. Though my mother is no longer with us, she was a wonderful woman who was sought out by those who needed her expertise in NDT. She was a Registered Occupational Therapist who worked solely with those who had strokes and traumatic brain injuries. My father is a self-made man who was 1st generation Ukrainian Jew who made it from the rough streets of Brooklyn, NY, to a man who helped many Fortune 100 companies turn things around to be profitable again (including Harley Davidson and Mercury). He sat on school boards to make education better as well as well as ran for US Congress a few times. My sister became a teacher and administrator to educate and help students who didn't have much to look forward to in life (she has a degree in education from the University of Texas, her master's in education, and her master's in history). She wanted to make a difference in this world and chose to move to Brooklyn, NY, and work in the NYC education system mostly working with immigrants and 1st generation Americans. Her husband is a wonderful animator and had the number 1 movie in the world for a time in 2023 (months later, his movie is still in the top 10). They raised two beautiful boys who have graduated from university and are making their own paths in life.
I have 3 beautiful girls. My oldest sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2015 while attending summer camp in the mountains of Colorado. Though she has faced numerous challenges since the head injury, she has never given up. Currently, she is attending college in Colorado to become a nurse. My middle daughter is a straight-A student who is passionate about everything soccer. She is currently on the varsity team as a sophomore. Her plans are to attend college to become a pediatric physical therapist. My youngest daughter is a straight-A student currently in 8th grade. Though she has had some medical challenges (a cyst in her brain, osteochondromas, EDS, anxiety, and depression), she has never let that stop her from living life. Her dream is to become a general surgeon, but she said she would be just as happy being a nurse. My husband is a wonderful father and husband. He is very interactive with the girl's interests and has been a vital part of a group that has begun the district's first girl's sports booster club. As for me, even with a learning disability, I graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor's in Nursing and from Walden University with a Master's in Public Health. I worked in trauma/emergency medicine for the first 15 years of my career, and then education (PK-12) for years 16-31. I have assisted in changing policy in Mental Health and Concussion/TBI's at the Colorado State level and continue to work at helping our youth navigate life's challenges. I have won the Nightengale Luminary Award twice and the Colorado State Nightengale Award for innovation in getting the public vaccinated for COVID-19 (during the pandemic) and the Flu. I am also a 16+ year American Red Cross Disaster Nurse and have volunteered as a nurse for numerous disasters.
Now that you know a bit about my family, cousin, I would love to get to know yours. The family without the Schusterman Foundation. You need to see your sisters (who are also in their 80s) and get to know them again before everyone is 6 feet under. Strip that foundation away and let us get to know you and your family again. Your first cousin Diane (my mother's sister) and her children would love to get to know your family again. I know Amelia (your mother) and Great-Grandma Helen would be saying the same exact thing.

[@vickig7261]

I used to babysit for Stacy when she was a little girl in Tulsa. Good to see her!

[@amydreher7048]

Lynn Schusterman was my mother's 1st cousin. My sister and I went to The University of Texas together in the '80s with Jay and Lynn Schusterman (two of the three children Lynn has). Jay and Stacy never chose to acknowledge our existence even though we were family and attended the same university at the same time.
Though I feel Lynn and Stacy's philanthropy work is wonderful, there is a dark side to this family. Decades ago, Lynn turned her back on her younger sisters and has not communicated with them since. Her sisters (Jane and Madelynn) are wonderful women with kind hearts and are extremely empathetic to all they have ever come in contact with. I think it has been about 50-years since Lynn has communicated with Jane and Madelynn. Even when Jane was near death in the 90's, Lynn turned her back on her sister. It would have been nice if Lynn sent a get-well card or just called to see how she was doing, but nothing.
Lynn mentions in this video that she has 5 granddaughters. That is not true. Lynn Schusterman has 7 granddaughters. Stacey has 3-daughters, Jay has 2-daughters, and Hal (her son whom she rarely acknowledges exists) HAD two daughters. One of Hale's daughters died of cancer and Lynn was NOT there to help her son Hal find her the best possible care. Hal's daughter (Lynn's granddaughter) succumbed to the cancer. She is buried in Israel. Hal is STILL grieving for the loss of his daughter.
When I was around 10 years old, we visited Lynn at her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I remember there was an elevator in the house that the housekeeper used and a huge trampoline in the backyard. I think this is when my father asked for a job with Charles's company. He had been laid off due to the economy. Lynn and Charles were "unable" or unwilling to help my father even though he had a degree in Engineering. When we received an invitation for Jay's (or Hal's) Bar mitzvah, we were unable to attend or send a gift because my father was out of work. Lynn never communicated with our family ever since then. How heartless and shameful of Lynn! We were "shunned" because my father had lost his job due to the poor economy.
When I reached out to Lynn to let her know my mother had died in Cancun, Mexico in 2014, Lynn said to me, "What do you want me to do about it..." I never forgot that phrase that she said to me. I was grieving for the unexpected loss of my mother while trying to comfort my three daughters (ages 4, 6, and 10). These two women, Lynn and Stacy, are "anti-humans". All they care about is the Schusterman Foundation and their OWN accolades.
Not one person in her extended family does she acknowledge from her Mom's (My great-grandmother Helen Mayer) family. If she would get to know (acknowledge their existence) her family, she would know that her 1st cousin, Leslie (my mother) had degrees in Art, Psychology, and her Master's in Occupational Therapy. She accomplished all of this while having two children and was LEGALLY BLIND. She was a published author and was an incredible advocate for me when the school system in Missouri labeled me as "Mentally Retarded" and "Deaf and Dumb". My TRUE diagnosis was Dyslexia, but back in the 1970's, no one knew how to properly test for that. I could not read, so the educational institution decided to give me their own labels. The same thing happened to Hal, Lynn's son. While my mother advocated for me and worked with me on how my brain worked (how I was able to learn) so I could excel in my academics, Lynn took a different path. Lynn's approach resulted in Hal's eventual academic downward turn which in turn began his struggle with depression and his identity. These items I will not elaborate on as I feel they are too personal to Hal.
I have lived in the same state, Colorado, with Jay Schusterman for 30 years now. I have tried to reach out to him to see if our families could get to know each other, but all I get is crickets. I once talked to Jay's wife on the phone when she answered, but she either never passed on my message to Jay or Jay ignored my call. I personally have never even had a conversation with my cousin in that he ignores my existence for some reason. Lynn has trained her children to ignore family without any reason at all. The family has no idea why. We all have our guesses, but only Lynn knows the real reason. Considering I have only met Lynn once in my life, I am not sure what I could have done to offend her at the age of 10.
Lynn, Stacy, Jay, and Hal, I would like to share some wonderful information about my family. Though my mother is no longer with us, she was a wonderful woman who was sought out by those who needed her expertise in NDT. She was a Registered Occupational Therapist who worked solely with those who had strokes and traumatic brain injuries. My father is a self-made man who was 1st generation Ukrainian Jew who made it from the rough streets of Brooklyn, NY, to a man who helped many Fortune 100 companies turn things around to be profitable again (including Harley Davidson and Mercury). He sat on school boards to make education better as well as well as ran for US Congress a few times. My sister became a teacher and administrator to educate and help students who didn't have much to look forward to in life (she has a degree in education from the University of Texas, her master's in education, and her master's in history). She wanted to make a difference in this world and chose to move to Brooklyn, NY, and work in the NYC education system mostly working with immigrants and 1st generation Americans. Her husband is a wonderful animator and had the number 1 movie in the world for a time in 2023 (months later, his movie is still in the top 10). They raised two beautiful boys who have graduated from university and are making their own paths in life.
I have 3 beautiful girls. My oldest sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2015 while attending summer camp in the mountains of Colorado. Though she has faced numerous challenges since the head injury, she has never given up. Currently, she is attending college in Colorado to become a nurse. My middle daughter is a straight-A student who is passionate about everything soccer. She is currently on the varsity team as a sophomore. Her plans are to attend college to become a pediatric physical therapist. My youngest daughter is a straight-A student currently in 8th grade. Though she has had some medical challenges (a cyst in her brain, osteochondromas, EDS, anxiety, and depression), she has never let that stop her from living life. Her dream is to become a general surgeon, but she said she would be just as happy being a nurse. My husband is a wonderful father and husband. He is very interactive with the girl's interests and has been a vital part of a group that has begun the district's first girl's sports booster club. As for me, even with a learning disability, I graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor's in Nursing and from Walden University with a Master's in Public Health. I worked in trauma/emergency medicine for the first 15 years of my career, and then education (PK-12) for years 16-31. I have assisted in changing policy in Mental Health and Concussion/TBI's at the Colorado State level and continue to work at helping our youth navigate life's challenges. I have won the Nightengale Luminary Award twice and the Colorado State Nightengale Award for innovation in getting the public vaccinated for COVID-19 (during the pandemic) and the Flu. I am also a 16+ year American Red Cross Disaster Nurse and have volunteered as a nurse for numerous disasters.
Now that you know a bit about my family, cousin, I would love to get to know yours. The family without the Schusterman Foundation. You need to see your sisters (who are also in their 80s) and get to know them again before everyone is 6 feet under. Strip that foundation away and let us get to know you and your family again. Your first cousin Diane (my mother's sister) and her children would love to get to know your family again. I know Amelia (your mother) and Great-Grandma Helen would be saying the same exact thing.