In support of the nonprofit Morristown Medical Center
and Goryeb Children's Hospital

Dedicated with a Capital D – Len and Brenda Sichel’s Giving Adds Up

Len Sichel and Keerti Sharma, MD

Len Sichel can spot competence and leadership skills in others as quickly as he can crunch numbers. When he met Keerti Sharma, MD, chief of geriatrics for Morristown Medical Center and program director for the Geriatrics Fellowship, supporting her vision for senior care was as easy as basic math for this financial leader and former vice chairman and chief financial officer for The Mennen Company.
 
“She does a wonderful job at heading geriatrics,” said Len Sichel, longtime member of the financial investment and audit committees of Atlantic Health System Board of Trustees. “I am so impressed with her that I asked her to serve as my primary care doctor. She’s thorough with a capital T and super-competent — an unbelievable person.”
 
Investing in superior senior care makes sense for the Morristown resident and his wife, Brenda, as they are committed to a healthy, active lifestyle. They recently donated $25,000 through a donor advised fund (DAF) to the Geriatric Medicine Center of Excellence Fund to support the David and Joan Powell Center for Healthy Aging at Morristown Medical Center. Their gift will impact new initiatives in senior care — a rapidly growing area of medicine, with aging baby boomers adding significantly to this demographic throughout Morris County.

Giving through Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)

The Sichels have supported various hospital initiatives, programs and campaigns for many years through their DAFs. Referring to themselves as “MMC-dedicated,” their gratitude to Morristown Medical Center stems from the extraordinary care they have received as patients at the hospital.

“Planned giving is easier than you may think,” said Cynthia W. O’Donnell, JD, Foundation for Morristown Medical Center director of gift planning. “There are many financial benefits for allocating funds through a DAF. We work closely with the Community Foundation of New Jersey, and many donors give through Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard and other institutions that maintain DAFs.”

Invested from the Beginning 

Being “MMC-dedicated” goes hand in hand with the Sichels’ strong sense of giving back to the community. Len Sichel founded the Cardiac Patient Support Fund at Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute and donated $50,000 to establish this fund which supports underserved community members who need financial support for treatments and medications. He hopes that others will contribute to this fund to help those in need.  He also served as treasurer of the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center Board of Trustees for more than 10 years from 1995 to 2007 dedicating endless energy, time and treasure. Brenda Sichel served, for many years, as a Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center (WAMMC) member, faithfully volunteering at the hospital’s gift shop.

The Sichels never miss a beat when it comes to helping those in need. When the pandemic hit in 2020, they were eager to give in support of the COVID-19 Support Fund, which provided front-line caregivers with necessary personal protective gear, medical supplies and other equipment. Previous gifts from the Sichels include a bequest to geriatrics, an unrestricted gift through their IRA to the Annual Fund and numerous contributions over the years to Gagnon Cardiovascular Institute. They are both members of the Brookfield Legacy Society.

Len Sichel’s generous gifts and longtime board service are extraordinary, but surprisingly, those are only the first layers of his dedication to Morristown Medical Center. Digging deeper, one discovers he was a key player in forming the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center in 1995 as the primary fundraising entity for the hospital. In 2007, he received the Augusta Stone Award for this undertaking and many other contributions. The Augusta Stone Award was previously given by the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center in recognition of volunteer leaders who have distinguished themselves in the field of philanthropy.

“Being chosen for this award was one of my proudest moments,” he said.

Learning the value of giving back came from years at the helm of The Mennen Company, where he led corporate giving and represented his company in hospital affairs. At the time, The Mennen Company was a generous supporter of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Morristown Medical Center.

“Being a representative for The Mennen Company’s various charitable endeavors brought me closer to the needs of the people in neighborhoods throughout Morristown and Morris County,” said Sichel, who was also an active member of the Morristown Chamber of Commerce for many years.

Gratitude Incites Giving More

This heightened awareness of the many needs in the community went a long way toward helping him cultivate a tremendous sense of gratitude for all he has been given in his life.

“I grew up in a modest environment in Kearny, New Jersey,” he said. “I was able to attend Rutgers [University] on two scholarships for academics, which led me to believe in the kindness of strangers. What I’m doing today is giving back. It’s important to give back to the community and friends in need. It’s important to be a provider of help.”

Staying healthy is a key priority for the couple and it has led to a vibrant family life.  

“Brenda and I were college sweethearts, leading to a long, successful marriage.  We have two wonderful children and four glorious grandchildren,” he said. “They are the delight of our lives with a capital D. We love to travel together to exotic places — for example, we’ve recently been to South Africa and the Galapagos Islands. And we expect to do this for many years to come.”

To learn more about DAFs, bequests, IRAs and other planned gifts, contact Cynthia W. O’Donnell, JD, at 973-593-2418 or cynthia.odonnell@atlantichealth.org.

Ranked the best hospital in Geriatrics in New Jersey and high-performing nationally by U.S. News & World Report in their 2021-2022 Best Hospitals rankings, Morristown Medical Center’s geriatric program includes a dedicated Geriatric Emergency Department, Geriatric Assessment Center, and the David and Joan Powell Center for Healthy Aging to attend to our seniors’ most critical needs.

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