schmidt family foundation - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T08:37:09Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/schmidt+family+foundationMeet Your Neighbor: Dick Schmidthttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/meet-your-neighbor-dick-schmidt2016-06-29T16:35:14.000Z2016-06-29T16:35:14.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960657884,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960657884,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960657884?profile=original" /></a></em><em>Dick Schmidt drew heavily on his experiences in the Caribbean and as a sailor and pilot</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>when writing his book,</em> The Boy and the Dolphin<em>.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"> Accountant. Developer. Pilot. Sailor. Philanthropist.<br /> Dick Schmidt of Boca Raton wears many hats as CEO of Schmidt Companies and president of the Schmidt Family Foundation. The energetic 72-year-old decided one more was in order — author — and added it to his haberdashery.<br /> May 10 saw the debut of his first novel, <em>The Boy and the Dolphin</em>, a heartwarming tale that takes place in the Bahamas during the mid-1950s. The book has earned endorsements from esteemed writer Doris Kearns Goodwin and ocean advocate Philippe Cousteau.<br /> The story follows the life of little Toby Matthias, who is living with his grandparents on an out island near Nassau; his mother and father were killed in a plane crash. One day, Toby encounters a mother dolphin entangled in a fishing net and rescues her. The dolphin’s nearby calf immediately bonds with the young hero, and the two become friends.<br /> “I drew heavily on my own life for the experiences in the book,” Schmidt said.<br /> Like Schmidt, Toby grew up sailing the Caribbean. He then attended a preparatory school in Palm Beach. <br /> The plot thickens when Toby joins the Navy and flies fighter jets during the Vietnam War. Schmidt served in the Army.<br /> “I couldn’t wait to sit down at my computer and start writing again because I didn’t know what was going to happen next,” Schmidt said. “Or if I knew what was going to happen next, I didn’t know how it was going to happen.”<br /> In the end, Toby returns to the Bahamas as an adult who hasn’t seen his finned friend in eight years.<br /> “And, of course, the denouement is, ‘Will he be reunited with this dolphin, and if so, what will be the result?” Schmidt said. “You have to read the book to find out.”<br /> Schmidt is married to Barbara, founder of the nonprofit organization Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life, for which their daughter, Michelle, works. Son David is a playwright.<strong><br /></strong><em>— Amy Woods</em><strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?<strong><br /> A.</strong> I attended grammar school in suburban Chicago, prep school in Palm Beach, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University. Varied school environments broadened my perspective on the world and gave me good background for the book.<strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> In what professions have you worked, and which ones make you the proudest?<strong><br /> A.</strong> I taught advanced accounting at Florida Atlantic, founded and managed the largest single-office accounting firm in South Florida, developed communities and real estate in Florida, owned and operated corporate-aviation facilities in South Florida and published a novel. I am proud of all of my ventures.<strong><br /> Q.</strong> What advice do you have for young adults selecting a career today?<strong><br /> A.</strong> Unless you envision a career in something requiring a specific education, such as medicine or law, don’t be in a hurry to pick one out. The probability that your life’s work will be doing something you choose for yourself today is remote. Broaden your education as much as possible so that you will be prepared for whatever comes along that turns out to be your true passion. <strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> How did you choose to make your home in Boca Raton?<strong><br /> A.</strong> I left Chicago with the intention of returning after getting a graduate degree. I chose Boca Raton because my parents lived here, and there was a university of higher education here. All I knew after graduating was that I didn’t want to go back to Chicago.<strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?<strong><br /> A.</strong> My drive home each evening. I marvel at what an exceptional place this is and what an exciting time it is to live here.<strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> What book are you reading now?<strong><br /> A.</strong> <em>Hidden Account of the Romanovs</em>, by John Browne, a resident of Palm Beach County.<strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> What music do you listen to when you need inspiration or want to relax?<strong><br /> A.</strong> Some classical, some ’60s, ’70s pop. I like a wide variety of music.<br /><strong><br /> Q.</strong> Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?<strong><br /> A.</strong> Everything in moderation, including moderation.<strong><br /><br /> Q.</strong> Have you had mentors in your life — individuals who have inspired your decisions?<strong><br /> A.</strong> Many. Not by coincidence, one at each turning point in my life. I think most of us will recall an individual of influence in our lives when we needed one.<br /><strong><br /> Q.</strong> If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?<strong><br /> A.</strong> Harrison Ford.<strong><br /><br /></strong>The Boy and the Dolphin <em>($26.95, Landslide Publishing) is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.</em></p></div>FAU: $16 million donation sets stage for sports complexhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/fau-16-million-donation-sets-stage-for-sports-complex2014-12-04T16:52:19.000Z2014-12-04T16:52:19.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960548694,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960548694,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960548694?profile=original" /></a><em>Athletic Director Patrick Chun celebrates with FAU President John Kelly at a press conference Dec. 2</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>to announce the gift of $16 million by Dick and Barbara Schmidt, seen below (at center) in this May 2014 file photo.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Joe Skipper/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
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<p><strong>By Steven J. Smith</strong><br /><br /> The Schmidt Family Foundation has donated $16 million to Florida Atlantic University, which will go toward a planned $45 million -$50 million, 185,000-square-foot complex that will benefit students and student athletes at the university.<br /> “We’re thrilled today to announce the largest gift in the history of Florida Atlantic University,” said FAU President John Kelly, who announced the gift during a Dec. 2 press conference at the college. “It will be the lead gift in a large campaign for an athletic and academic complex designed to be rivaled by none in the country.” <br /> When finished, the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence will house an academic success center; strength, conditioning and wellness centers; a sports medicine center; and a football center — which will include media rooms, offices and a locker room.<br /> “It will also hold an indoor practice facility, administration offices, and a history and tradition hall, which will celebrate the great history of FAU,” he said. “As our athletics programs prove successful on the national stage, more and more people will be interested in coming here.”<br /> The Dallas-based firm of HKS Architects was retained to do a feasibility study on the project, which will find its remaining $29 million -$34 million in funding through philanthropy in the private sector.<br /> FAU participates in 21 sports, 19 sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Head football coach Charlie Partridge said the new complex would provide a shot in the arm to all of those programs.<br /> “What you see in the design of this facility is something that’s designed for all 21 sports, with development in mind,” Partridge said. “Full-rounded development, from the academic support to the medical support to enhancing their athletic development — putting them in position to practice, regardless of weather. That puts us in position to compete on a national scale.”<br /> Although Kelly said the $16 million could go a long way in financing sports complex architects and planning the project, Pat Chun, FAU’s vice president for athletics, could not commit to a specific start date for the complex as yet — not until more money from the private sector is secured.<br /> “We’ve been working at this for quite some time and we feel very good about who we’ve been talking to,” Chun said. “We’re hopeful over the course of the next few weeks and months that we’ll have some follow-up announcements about when we’ll put a shovel in the ground.”<br /> Kelly said the complex will also benefit FAU students studying sports management.<br /> “We’re No. 4 in the United States and No. 6 in the world, with the sports management program that Dr. Jim Riordan leads,” Kelly said. “Jim and his team will be a part of this complex, as well. So not only will our students in that program have an opportunity to be in a university that’s on that ascension ladder, they will also be a part of the daily operations there.”<br />Partridge called the complex “a game changer,” allowing FAU to recruit a higher level of student athlete.<br /> “We’ve outgrown the old facility,” he said. “This new athletic village changes everything, not just for football, but for the entire athletic department.”</p></div>Boca Raton Regional Hospital: Schmidts give hospital $5 million for neuroscience institutehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-regional-hospital-schmidts-give-hospital-5-million-for2012-05-02T17:00:00.000Z2012-05-02T17:00:00.000ZDeborah Hartz-Seeleyhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/DeborahHartzSeeley<div><p></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960387073,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960387073,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="360" alt="7960387073?profile=original" /></a><em>Barbara and Dick Schmidt and the Schmidt Family Foundation’s</em><br /> <em>gift to Boca Raton Regional Hospital follows a $25 million gift</em> <br /> <em>by Billi and Bernie Marcus. <b>Photo provided</b></em></p>
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<p>The Marcus Neuroscience Institute, scheduled to open in 2014, got a hefty cash boost in mid-April, when Barbara and Dick Schmidt and the Schmidt Family Foundation gave the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation a $5 million gift for the project.</p>
<p>The neuroscience institute will serve as a state-of-the-art center of care for neurologic and neurosurgical patients. </p>
<p>The institute was established with a recently announced $25 million gift from Boca Raton residents Billi and Bernie Marcus and the Marcus Foundation.</p>
<p>The Schmidt gift will be used to build a 52,000-square-foot addition to the hospital, which will house the Marcus Neuroscience Institute, and be named the Schmidt Family Pavilion. It will contain a 22-bed Neuro Intensive Care and Step-Down unit, two dedicated operating rooms equipped with intraoperative MRI and the latest technology.</p>
<p>“We believe the Marcus Neuroscience Institute is the most important new development in health care in South Florida,” said Dick Schmidt, who has just completed his tenure as two-term chairman of the hospital board of trustees. “It will serve as a destination for expert neurological care from the finest physicians and clinicians coupled with the most advanced technology. The Marcus Neuroscience Institute will transform the lives of many patients suffering from memory and movement disorders, as well as other neurological conditions.”</p>
<p>The Schmidts announced the gift at the Foundation’s Philanthropy Guild Reception, which recognizes the hospital’s most generous donors. </p>
<p>The Schmidt family has a multi-generational legacy of support for Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Dick Schmidt’s parents, Charles and Dorothy Schmidt, were early contributors to the effort to build the hospital in the 1960s. He and his wife, Barbara, and the Schmidt Family Foundation have also given several philanthropic gifts to the Lynn Cancer Institute. </p>
<p><i>— Staff report</i></p>
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