Steve Whitman profoundly loved and respected his father George. When George Whitman died in 1990, Steve was wanted to do something special in his name. He decided to link the love of his father with his love of Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos Puerto Rican High School by creating the George Whitman Scholarship Fund. Each year Steve would present a graduating student at Pedro Albizu Campos High School with a financial award in his father’s name. Of course, that was just one connection Steve had to Paseo Boricua. Many of the health initiatives currently in place grew out of Steve’s groundbreaking research on the health of the residents in the area and his recommendations and fundraising efforts for improvement. One example is the development of an urban agricultural curriculum of which the Greenhouse is a part. Of course, Steve did not do this work as an individual. Many of his colleagues at the Sinai Urban Health Institute played critical roles, and of course it is the embracing of the work by members of the community that has been most essential. When Steve died this past summer after battling with cancer, it seemed only natural that the Greenhouse be renamed after Steve. We set ourselves a goal of raising $36,000 to help sustain the Greenhouse, and on May 19th which is Steve’s birthday, there will be a ceremony to rename the Greenhouse in his memory. We invite you to participate in what will no doubt be a continuation of the celebration of Steve’s life. I am excited to say that we have thus far raised $26,000 of our $36,000 goal. It has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to interact with the remarkable group of people that were Steve’s friends and acquaintances, and I am touched with the generosity. I want to thank everybody who has participated from the bottom of my heart. We still have not quite reached our goal. If you are able to help us get there, you can write a check made out to PACHS and send it to PACHS, c/or Nancy Kurshan, 2739 West Division Street, Chicago, Illinois 60622. Or if you prefer to donate via online banking or PAYPAL, please make sure to write “PACHS/Whitman” in the memo portion. And SAVE THE
