There are thoughtful donors and deeply invested benefactors … and then there is Steve Bernstein. While he is undoubtedly among the most generous donors in HomeSafe’s 42-year history, Steve’s greatest gift is his passionate volunteerism. From the day Steve first came to HomeSafe to visit with the young children in the residential program, nearly 23 years ago, the life of one altruist and the trajectory of one organization were forever changed.
Steve remembers the day clearly.
“I was touring the place and saw that each child had a small footlocker at the foot of their bed. I was struck by the realization that all of their belongings fit in this tiny space. I had so much. I could do more.”
He was born in the Bronx, New York, to a middle-class family. His father, a World War II veteran and a lifelong mentor to Steve, instilled in his family the values of integrity, hard work and community. At age 12, Steve got his first job delivering the New York Post. After obtaining a University of Florida business degree, then working briefly for a telecommunications company, Steve launched Steve Bernstein & Associates (SBA Communications) from his basement using credit card advances as start-up capital.
Today, Boca Raton-based SBA Communications is a $35 billion public company. In 2003, Steve stepped down as CEO to pursue his philanthropic interests, but kept his position as Chairman of the Board. He established the Steven E. Bernstein Family Foundation in 2006.
The impact of Steve’s philanthropy is evident throughout HomeSafe. He has served on the Board of Directors for 20 years, including five as President. Each year, Steve leads the Board effort to provide holiday bonuses to all 152 of HomeSafe’s employees.
Steve has chaired HomeSafe’s largest annual fundraiser, The Classic Rock & Roll Party, for the past two years and again for 2021. His Foundation is an annual Diamond Sponsor, and his impassioned Call to the Heart appeal from the stage inspires attendees to donate more than $125,000 each year.
HomeSafe’s Bernstein Family Foundation Campus, the therapeutic residential program for boys in Boca Raton, and the Bernstein Independent Living Campus for young adults transitioning out of foster care, also known as Pond Place, are named in recognition of Steve’s extraordinary philanthropy. Both Steve and his Foundation are founding members of HomeSafe’s major giving society, the Guardian Society. He has also engaged his personal and professional networks to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in new gifts. What’s more, Steve became a mentor to Jeff, a dynamic young man who spent his entire childhood in foster care and is ready to make his way in the world after completing his education and transitioning out of Pond Place.
As much as he supports HomeSafe, Steve Bernstein’s capacity for giving doesn’t end there. It has also touched recipients of the George Snow Scholarship Fund, clients of Florence Fuller Child Development Center, and Boca Helping Hands, as well as patients at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Yet he prefers to give quietly. When asked what makes him happiest, Steve responds, “My awesome daughter [a mental health counselor] and my beautiful new granddaughter.” He adds, “And, long beach walks.”
Steve Bernstein – a holiday miracle, all year long.
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