The Charles Lafitte Foundation (CLF), a philanthropic organization founded by entrepreneur Jeffrey Citron, and his wife, Suzanne, announced plans to host its first annual golf tournament in support of the Deborah Hospital Foundation. The charity golf event will be held Monday, June 30 at the Tournament Players Club in Princeton.
CLF pledges to match all proceeds raised for Deborah dollar for dollar. The Deborah Hospital Foundation drives fundraising efforts for the Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Brown Mills, New Jersey. The Center is the only specialty hospital in the region focused exclusively on heart, lung and vascular disease, and the only freestanding medical institution in New Jersey licensed to perform open heart surgery on adults, pediatrics and newborns.
“Deborah Hospital Foundation exemplifies the power of philanthropy, and we share the group’s commitment to providing improved health care to patients in need,” said Mr. Citron,
co-founder and board member, Charles Lafitte Foundation. “Because so many good charities have seen decreased giving in the past year, it is all the more important for the Charles Lafitte Foundation to continue to steadily support groups, like the Deborah Hospital Foundation, that better our community through service.”
Originally founded in 1922 as a tuberculosis sanatorium, today the internationally renowned Deborah Heart and Lung Center provides specialized medical and surgical treatment to adults and children with heart, lung and vascular disease. The Center continues to operate on the founding principle that “there should be no price tag on life,” delivering care to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Offering the latest technology and a comprehensive range of cutting edge surgical techniques, Deborah also offers advanced non-surgical options, and a comprehensive outpatient program. The medical team performs over 10,000 procedures a year, supported by the fundraising efforts of the Deborah Hospital Foundation.
The Deborah Hospital Foundation, officially founded in 1974, is comprised of approximately 50,000 volunteers across some 200 community-based chapters. The Foundation raises funds and awareness through a variety of events and activities. Each year, the group generates millions of dollars in aide of the hospital.
About The Charles Lafitte Foundation:
The Charles Lafitte Foundation is a private philanthropic organization founded by Suzanne and Jeffrey Citron. A multifaceted, multi-purposed organization comprised of four distinct project areas, CLF strives to affect innovative change in the areas of education, children’s advocacy, medical research and the arts. Contributions range from single donations to on-going project funding and volunteer work. Grant proposals may be submitted via the organization’s web site, www.charleslafitte.org. Preference is given to proposals and programs that foster significant change for many individuals.
About Jeffrey Citron:
Jeffrey Citron is a technology pioneer and visionary who transformed the financial services industry. As Chairman and CEO of Vonage, Mr. Citron aims to redefine yet another industry — telecommunications.
Some of the more revolutionary financial services developments over the past decade were spearheaded by Mr. Citron. In 1995, Mr. Citron founded The Island ECN, a computerized trading system designed to eliminate the problems associated with order execution. The Island ECN recently was acquired by Instinet Group for 503 million dollars. Today the newly merged company is one of the largest global financial exchanges, and is responsible for more than one in four NASDAQ trades.
Following on the success of The Island ECN, Mr. Citron founded and became the Chairman and CEO of Datek Online Holdings Corp. as Datek transitioned into the online brokerage industry. Under his leadership, Datek had grown to become the fourth largest online brokerage in the US, and was recently acquired by Ameritrade Holdings for 1.3 billion dollars. The newly merged company with nearly 3 million customers is now the second largest online financial services firm behind the Charles Schwab Company. Mr. Citron departed Datek in 1999 and, recognizing a similar opportunity, founded Vonage.
Apart from his entrepreneurial activities, Mr. Citron is continually pursuing philanthropic initiatives. He currently serves on the board of the Montclair Art Museum and through his family foundation routinely funds medical research, supports the Arts and dedicates his time and resources to children’s charities.
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For more information, contact:
Ruder Finn
212.715.1694
woodsa@ruderfinn.com
Jennifer Vertetis
Charles Lafitte Foundation
Contact Jennifer here