Diabetes Institutes Foundation

Bob has been distinguished for his work and support for a significant number of charitable organizations. He is a major contributor and personally supports The Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit, a community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, currently operating at six New York hospitals including Schneider Children's Hospital of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, as well as in Boston, New Haven, Seattle, Chicago and Washington D.C. Specially trained professional clowns visit hospitalized children and, while medical doctors treat their diseases, the "clowns" treat their funny bones and raise their spirits. He was honored by "1 in 9", Long Island's Breast Cancer Coalition, as well as by many of the organizations named herein. In addition, Bob is on the Executive Council of The Tilles Center Council of Overseers and will be the honoree at the 2003 Tilles Center for the Performing Arts Gala XXIII. In addition, Bob serves on the President's Council of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, is a Trustee of the North Shore/Long Island Jewish Health System, and is a co-chair of their Cancer Initiative as well as serving on the Advisory Board of Hofstra University's Elite Honors College. He is also a founding supporter of The Harlem Little League, and actively supports the Little League Baseball Urban Initiative. He donates generously to The Church of St. John the Baptist Food Pantry and supports The Walt Frazier Youth Foundation as well as Wynton Marsalis' "Jazz @ Lincoln Center" Program. He serves on the Board of the Diabetes Institutes Foundation, supports the Boys Club of New York, the Newark YM/YWCA, and numerous baseball, basketball and soccer teams throughout the metropolitan area. Most recently, Bob served as Chairman of the Nassau County Blue Ribbon Panel and sits on the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, to guide Nassau County's fiscal destiny. He is often called upon as an expert on urban, healthcare, and minority issues by many members of both State and Federal governments. Bob is also involved with H.E.L.P. (Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged), which was founded by Andrew Cuomo in 1986 and is the nation's largest developer of housing and provider of services for the homeless. In addition, Bob is also a major supporter of the Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City. Additionally, in 1994 Bob received the Entrepreneur of the Year award in a competition sponsored by Inc. Magazine and Ernst and Young. In 1996, The Robert Plan was named Employer of the Year by Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, and in 1997 was honored by the National Center for Disabilities in Albertson. He was recently honored as the 1998 Corporation of the Year by The Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In addition, the company developed the pilot for PROSPER, a scholastic internship program for "at risk" students on Long Island.