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Mitzi Berkelhammer’s roots in Rhode Island run deep, and so does her devotion to the family, faith, and community that have defined her life. 

After briefly living in Pittsburgh with her late husband Robert in the early years of their marriage, the couple returned to Rhode Island in 1977 and never looked back. Together, they raised three children, Jessi, Max, and Abby. For almost 50 years, Mitzi has devoted herself to the nonprofit community and Jewish communal life, serving in many leadership roles, including terms as chair of the board at both the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and the Jewish Federation Foundation.

When Robert passed away six years ago, Mitzi resolved to honor the legacy of community involvement and generosity that she and Robert had built together. Rather than stepping back, she leaned forward, channeling their shared values into two permanent funds at the Rhode Island Foundation.

"I feel very lucky that I am able to create something lasting," she reflects. "I also think I am choosing the type of places and causes that my husband would feel good about."

The first, the Berkelhammer Family Fund for Basic Needs, will assist organizations providing food and shelter for vulnerable Rhode Islanders, causes Mitzi has championed for years. When uncertainty around federal food assistance programs made headlines, her commitment deepened. "I thought to myself, 'how can children not have the food they need?' I don't think you can get any more basic than a roof over your head and food in your stomach."

The second, the Mitzi Berkelhammer Perpetual Support Fund for Temple Beth-El, reflects a lifetime of connection to the historic Providence congregation where her uncle once served as rabbi, her parents and grandparents held membership, and where two of her granddaughters, fifth-generation congregants, now attend religious school. L'dor v'dor, ‘from generation to generation,’ this fund will grow over time, generating support for the Temple year after year, in perpetuity.

Mitzi's path to the Rhode Island Foundation came through her leadership at the Jewish Federation Foundation, which partners with the Foundation to manage its funds. She credits the Foundation's team for their patience, knowledge, and professionalism, as she sought to learn more about endowments. "They were not pestering me about when I was going to donate. I appreciated the respect I was given to work through what I wanted to do, in my own time. The team at the Foundation are 'professional professionals' - the best of the best."

For Mitzi, these two funds represent more than financial instruments. They are her promise that the values she and Robert built their lives around, honoring their faith and caring for those in need, will endure - l'dor v'dor.