This month's column is not being written by a grandmother.  It's being written by a granddaughter who has lost the chance to discover her grandparents' legacy.

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Sharna Goldseker, a v.p. at the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philantrophies and a new MJM.  Her work with 21/64 focuses on family foundations and she created The Grandparent Legacy Project as a tool to help generations discuss not only why philanthropy is important, but what life experiences shaped their philanthropic focus.

The book is lovely.  Jewish and non-Jewish grandparents were asked to tell their stories -- Naomi Warren remembers her father telling her that "You can have a lot of material things, you can be very wealthy, but a day can come, and you can lose everything.  But whatever you learn, nobody can ever take away from you." That, and her experience as a survivor of Aushwitz, drives her philanthropic focus on educating people about the Holocaust.

Jean Schulz, the widow of Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz, continues her husband's life work of making opportunities available to others.  As an only-child growing up in the Depression, whose family didn't quite know what to make of their son's cartooning ambitions, Schulz wanted to make certain that places existed for people who "needed a place to be, needed a place to go."  His widow and children continue to fund athletic facilities aroudn the country.

The book contains a CD where we can hear the grandparents' voices.  But, what spoke to me is the workbook included in the back that helps us begin a dialogue within our family.

The Grandparent Legacy Project made me think--how many times do conversations with our grandparents or with our parents about their grandchildren purely involve telling the grandparent ABOUT the grandchildren?  When do we ever ask our parents or grandparents about their lives, present and past?

My family does not have a foundation but my parents still find ways to give...wouldn't it be interesting to know what organizations they give to and even more importantly, to understand why?  Families are still finding ways to help, even in the current challenging economic environment--how do we prioritize?  There are reasons that maybe we don't even understand about why one charitable organization speaks to us so that we find ways to donate our time and money.  Is there something about our unique family history that gives us our focus?  And, if we don't have a focus, if nothing grabs us and makes us want to give...maybe learning more about our family history will help give us a mission.

Tzedekah and tikkun olam are cornerstones of a Jewish life.  To become inspired to give tzedekah by talking to our grandparents is a gift.  To take on their life's work and passion as our own--to truly create a legacy--is a mitzvah.

So, I am encouraging everyone to buy a copy of The Grandparent Legacy and use it at this year's seder. Let's use Passover as a time to learn about our people's history and our family's history.

To learn more about The Grandparent Legacy Project or to purchase a copy, go to http://www.grandparentlegacyproject.org/ or Amazon.com

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