Donor Spotlight
The Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation
Occasionally, an organization is blessed with a donor whose commitment spans decades and inspires others to follow in his or her footsteps. For Lighthouse International, that donor was Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg. She gave her first gift to us in 1983, and the Foundation bearing her name remains one of the leading supporters of our music school today.
Mrs. Greenberg's support began when she started taking piano lessons in the early 1990s with Joe Fields, the director of the school at that time. Using large-print music provided by the Lighthouse, she continued her lessons well into her nineties, even at home, when she was no longer able to leave her apartment. And she showed her appreciation through regular contributions, including the donation of her own Steinway piano.
Born in 1899 in Coney Island, Mrs. Greenberg, known as "Fil" to her friends, received a law degree from NYU in 1920 - a time when it was unusual for women to receive professional degrees. In addition to practicing law, she discovered a talent for investing in the stock market, which allowed her to pursue her philanthropic interests. In 1990, Mrs. Greenberg established The Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, through which she began supporting the Lighthouse Music School in a more significant way. When she died at the age of 102, she left the bulk of her estate to the foundation, which today is administered by her attorney and member of the Lighthouse Board of Advisors, David Malkin, and her nephew, Max D'Agostino.
In 2004, the foundation made a multi-year pledge in Mrs. Greenberg's memory in the amount of $500,000, for which the Lighthouse proudly named the school in her honor. Founded in 1913, it is the largest community music school for people with vision loss in the US, offering a full curriculum, from individual lessons in voice and musical instruments to a comprehensive music education program for young people. The school, which draws over 130 students a year, is also a leader in assistive music technology, and houses a library of more than 25,000 accessible musical scores in Braille, large print and regular staff notation.
A Partnership with Steinway & Sons
Recently, Steinway & Sons offered to assess our school's pianos, revealing that 75% of them are Steinways, and their average age is 84 years! Although these pianos have served us well for a long time, some are in desperate need of replacement. Working with the company, Dr. Leslie Jones, the Music School's Executive Director, created a long-term plan to replace some of the oldest pianos with world-class Steinway & Sons pianos.
As a result, our Piano Replacement Program was launched at a special event in February, when our students were featured in a piano recital at the magnificent Steinway Hall. The Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation decided immediately to support this important effort with a lead gift to purchase a new Steinway & Sons piano for the main classroom.
We are delighted to thank Mr. Malkin and Mr. D'Agostino for the foundation's terrific gift - and for its ongoing generous support of The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School. We are honored to share a long and meaningful history with such a visionary organization.