Harry Mansbach, of blessed memory, believed that opportunity carried responsibility. His daughter, Sally Herman, remembers a father who understood how much circumstance could shape a person’s path. She says he believed those who had been fortunate had a responsibility to create opportunities for others.
When his wife, Marie, died in 1989, Mansbach put that belief into action. Marie had been involved with the Girl Scouts, and Mansbach chose to honor her by investing in young people in their hometown of Norfolk. The idea became the Marie A. Mansbach Memorial Student Motivation Program.
Mansbach wasn’t necessarily looking for the valedictorian or the student whose potential was already obvious. He envisioned helping capable students who needed encouragement, mentorship, and someone willing to believe more was possible.
“He was able to take himself out of his own moment and empathize with other people,” says Herman, who serves on the board of the program. More than three decades later, his family still carries that responsibility.
Today, through An Achievable Dream, the program provides Norfolk Public Schools students with mentoring, academic support, enrichment, and college preparation – all supported by the program’s endowment at Tidewater Jewish Foundation.
For Herman, continuing to invest reflects what her father taught his family. “Every human being has something to contribute,” she says. “Being so fortunate in so many ways, it’s our responsibility to help others.”
After her father’s death, Herman recognized that managing an increasingly complex program required institutional stability, financial stewardship, and the ability to adapt without losing sight of its original purpose. The family found that partner in TJF.
That relationship has allowed the family to remain connected to Harry and Marie Mansbach’s intentions without carrying the responsibility of administering the program alone. For May Lynn Mansbach, the couple’s daughter-in-law and a program board member, TJF has become more than the institution managing the endowment.
“With TJF, we’ve never felt like we simply handed over a fund to be managed,” says May Lynn Mansbach. “They have taken a genuine interest in the program, in the students, and in what Harry and Marie wanted to accomplish. They’ve helped us care for the legacy, not just the money.”
That distinction matters. The family needed a partner capable of understanding why the fund existed, protecting Harry and Marie Mansbach’s intentions, and helping the program evolve as circumstances changed.
For families considering their own charitable legacy, the Mansbach story offers a model: it’s not necessary to know today exactly how a community’s needs will change tomorrow. That is what TJF provides the Mansbach family; the stability to protect the original vision, the flexibility to respond to changing needs, and the confidence to continue investing in something deeply personal to their family.
To learn more, go to foundation.jewishva.org.