Gerald “Bummy” Burstein was born deaf in 1926. In spite of a difficult start, Gerald pushed his way through school, eventually teaching at the Minnesota School for the Deaf for over 15 years. He then went on to teach at California School for the Deaf in Riverside for 37 years before retiring in 2002. For much of his life, Bummy advocated for deaf individuals with a range of hearing levels. He was a major benefactor to programs and schools serving the deaf. At the advice of his financial advisor, Bummy established three different funds between 2009 and 2018 at IECF.
The Gerald “Bummy” Burstein Donor Advised Endowment Fund was created to help pay for programs and services to heighten leadership skills for deaf students at the California School for the Deaf. It’s important to give back and improve students’ chances for success as a deaf person in a hearing world. benefit all deaf students living in Riverside County. The other two funds – G. “Bummy” Burstein Donor Advised Fund and G. “Bummy” Burstein Literacy Fund – were established to support the school’s library, marquee and related projects. Under the Foundation’s stewardship, more than $29,000 in grants have been awarded to date. Burstein passed away in 2018, but because of his passion for deaf causes, students in Riverside County continue to blossom into their full potential today. “It’s important to give back,” said Burstein in 2012, “and improve students’ chances for success as a deaf person in a hearing world.”
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This story originally appeared in our 2018 Annual Report
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