Local Seniors Paying It Forward Through Scholarship Programs

Team members at Moldaw Residences, a continuing care retirement community, have even more opportunities for professional growth and education thanks to an annual pledge of $20,000 by residents Stanley and Josephine Chen. The contribution will support the Moldaw Residences Employee Education Scholarship Program, where team members can apply for funding to support their pursuit of higher education and professional licensing.

“We want to open it up for staff to support whatever they want to achieve; We want to give these young people this opportunity,” said Stanley. Applications have already been accepted and recipients will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We’re incredibly grateful for Stanley and Josephine’s donation,” said Alexander Ben-Israel, Moldaw’s executive director. “Our community strongly believes in the power of education and we encourage all team members to take advantage of incredible opportunities like this. We’re fortunate to have residents like the Chens who are committed to helping improve the lives of those around them.”

This generous contribution mirrors a similar initiative the Chens started more than 10 years ago while living in Boston. In 2008, they began to explore ways to give back to their community that had given them so much, with a particular focus on education. Already supporting various programs and organizations in Boston’s Chinatown, they negotiated with faculty and representatives at the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston about starting a scholarship program specifically for immigrants, refugees or their children.

“We wanted to support those who needed financial help and who really wanted an education,” said Stanley.

Every year, the Chens contribute $75,000 to support five full scholarships, which covers tuition and any related expenses. Seven recipients are currently pursuing their studies through the program, and to date, 32 have graduated, 31 of whom were the first to earn a degree in their families.

“We treat them like our kids; three or four times a year, we’d get together when we lived in Boston,” he said, adding they have an agreement with the Boston Foundation that when they pass, their estate will continue to support the scholarships. “They see me like a grandfather, as one of their family members.”

Stanley came to the U.S. in 1951, having spent the previous three years working in the isolated jungles of Brunei as an engineer for Shell Oil Company. As a “city kid” from Shanghai, and with political turmoil back home, he jumped at the opportunity for a change of scenery.

“I was offered a student apprenticeship with an engineering firm in Chicago,” he said. “I took it, and I studied and worked there for five years.”

Stanley eventually relocated to New York, where he worked for two construction companies and learned the trade. What followed was a career that spanned the next 20-plus years, taking him to New Jersey and San Francisco where he developed and built large-scale, residential high-rises. In 1976, he formed his own construction company, developing and building apartments.

Stanley says he considers himself very lucky and, as an immigrant, understands the challenges many of his scholarship recipients face. In addition to the Moldaw contribution, his goal is to eventually increase the number of annual UMass scholarships and other philanthropic programs.

“For them [recipients], hard work is nothing,” he added. “Now, many are middle class, living the American Dream — married, bought a house. They had an opportunity, and they grabbed it.”

About Moldaw Residences

Moldaw Residences is located on the multigenerational Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life in Palo Alto. The community offers a full range of living options and supports residents’ growth of mind, body and spirit with a variety of programs, activities and cultural opportunities.