The Charlotte Jewish News - February 2002 - Page 8
A Remarkable Tradition
The Levine and Skint Families — Examples of
Philanthropy in the Charlotte Community for
Two Generations
S andra and Leon Levine,
Lori and Eric Sklut and
Julie and Howard Levine
have created a special tradition of
support and caring that will bene
fit our community for many gen
erations to come. Their legacy of
giving has impacted thousands of
people of all ages, all income
brackets and all faiths. “The
Levines and Skluts have been both
an inspiration and wonderful role-
model for our community,”
sion and endowment project like
the one we have begun. There are
few communities, big or small,
that will have homes for their
Jewish communities comparable
to Shalom Park. It is fitting that
the JCC will be known hereafter
as the Sandra and Leon Levine
Jewish Community Center.
The Tradition of Charitable
Giving
Sandra and Leon Levine have
Mr. Leon Levine
according to Hal Levinson,
President of the Foundation of
Shalom Park.
The Levine and Sklut families
have had a deep commitment to
community, and that community
has been defined in very broad
terms. “Sandra and Leon, their
daughter, Amy, a sophomore
majoring in Early Childhood
Education at the College of
Charleston, Lori and Eric and
Julie and Howard are each com
passionate and feel a responsibili
ty and obligation to help those
who are most needy, as well as to
help others achieve their dreams,”
according to Harry Swimmer,
Foundation of Shalom Park,
Campaign Co-Chair.
Shalom Park and the JCC are
very close to the hearts of the
Levines and Skluts. Without their
support, our community would
not be able to undertake an expan
Israel for his philanthropic,
humanitarian, educational and
social contributions. For 18 years,
beginning in the mid-1970s, Leon
served on the Duke University
Hospital Advisory Board. In 1991,
he donated $10 million — one of
the biggest contributions Duke has
ever received from an individual
at that time — to help build the
Leon Levine Science Research
Center, a 375,000 square-foot,
$77.5 million interdisciplinary
research complex.
Sandra has always been deeply
committed to Charlotte’s Jewish
community, serving as past-presi
dent of Hadassah. She has also
been involved in the Greater
Charlotte community, serving on
boards such as: Golden Circle
Theatre, Charlotte Repertory
Theatre, The Blumenthal
Performing Arts Center, The
Queens College Learning Society,
and Charlotte Country Day School
where the school’s administration
building on its main campus is
named the Levine Center.
Currently, Sandra sits on the board
of Carolinas Medical Center. The
Levines have made recent major
gifts to the Children and Family
Service Center and the Children’s
Learning Center.
After major renovations in
2000 and 2001, the Levine
Museum of the New South
reopened in October 2001. Sandra
served as a founding board mem
ber of the museum. Emily
Zimmern. Executive Director of
the Museum, says, “Sandra and
The Levine Family. Back row: Dorothy, Harry, Minnie,
Front row: Sherman, Alvin, Leon
Leon embody the spirit of the new
South - entrepreneurial vision,
financial success, a demand for
excellence, a can-do optimism and
a commitment to inclusion.
Through their philanthropy, they
are building a better future for the
people of Charlotte and the State
of North Carolina.”
Family Dollar Leads the Way
Family Dollar’s astronomical
success is legendary, and profes
sors use it as a case study at busi
ness schools. In 1959, a 22-year
old entrepreneur with an interest
in merchandising became
intrigued with the idea of operat
ing a low-overhead, self-service
retail store. Leon Levine believed
he could offer his customers a
variety of high quality, good value
merchandise for under $3. It was
Leon’s drive to succeed and
intense competitive nature that
kept him going. Because he had
grown up in his family's retail
store, he understood value, quality
and customer satisfaction. In
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always generously supported the
Jewish community. Locally, Leon
was a leading force in the early
1980s in the creation of Shalom
Park, a unique place for Jews from
all over Charlotte to worship,
share their heritage and culture
and to meet, exercise and social
ize. According to Mark Bernstein,
the Levine’s financial contribution
to the creation of Shalom Park
was a major one, but it wasn’t the
most significant thing they did for
Shalom Park. “More importantly,
Leon was behind the idea, helped
us overcome some initial resis
tance and played a key role in
bringing Shalom Park to fruition,”
he says.
The Levine’s commitment to
charitable giving extends well
beyond Shalom Park and
Charlotte. In 1974, Leon was
awarded the Holy City of Peace
Award from the government of
riOH
COPP
Fastest
The 1962 opening of the Family Dollar Myrtle Beach store.