Billionaire businessman Theodore J. Forstmann is 71. He has brain cancer. He’s a pioneer of the leveraged buyout industry. After making billions, a half-dozen years ago, he bought IMG talent. Why is a billionaire with cancer doing a mega turnaround? Does he think there are afterlife bank accounts? No.
The drive behind Forstmann’s latest venture is to create a future profit stream to help children in Africa. For years, he’s been quietly supporting African children-related initiatives. Why? The former Barbarian says simply, “They’re helpless.”
In addition to helping the helpless, I believe there’s a benefit Forstmann, and we all get, from giving. I’m not sure who said it first but I’ve long believed “The best way to know you have enough of something is to give part of it away.”
While we’re not an organization worth billions, we started the Intertech Foundation in 2003 to help families of terminally ill children. Since then, we’ve helped dozens of families and paid for many improvements at the local Ronald McDonald House. As a leader, I think giving isn’t optional, it’s an obligation.
Just think all the kids Forstman could helped if he started his giving 40 years ago…
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