*MICHELE WEPNER
PRESIDENT
BOCA RATON, FLORIDA

Having been born and raised in South Florida, Linda Potash has witnessed Florida's amazing growth first hand. As the area matured so did Linda’s and her entrepreneurial sense. Linda recognized the need to establish certain businesses and services in the community. Over the years, she has owned and operated three video stores, filmed events for the private sector, produced and hosted three television shows, including a Shop At Home series and two Real Estate productions. Added to those successes, Linda authored several screen plays for television productions. Ask Linda what her greatest accomplishments are? She will tell you she is proud to have raised two wonderful children who have gone on to establish their own successful careers.
Linda is recognized for motivate skills and speaking at various venues helping others with weight loss, anti-aging and nutrition using non invasive, proven techniques.  Linda is a compliment of the Foudation.                           

Beatrice Sussman was born 2/10/33 in Poland. In 1941 the German army invaded her little village. While the Germans ravaged the Jewish homes her family took refuge in the basement of their home. Hiding in the basement her little brother started to cry and her mother took him upstairs as not to give away their hiding place.  Soon the Germans found her mother and brother and shot them. That night, her father and Beatrice (Basha) escaped into the woods and then joined the “Partisans”. Partisans for the most part, were Jewish resistance fighters who concentrated in densely wooded areas to defeat the German army.  Because of her age the Partisans told her father to leave her behind, but her father convinced them to let her stay. Over the next 6 months they found their way to Siberia. In Siberia, the Russians drafted her father and Bea was put into an orphanage. She was the only Jewish child in the orphanage and learned to hide her Jewish upbringing and to conform to the other children. All the children worked in the fields to raise most of the food. Clothing was provided by donations twice-a- year. Unfortunately, summer clothing was distributed in the winter and winter clothing was distributed in the summer.  Shoes were almost nonexistent. In order to protect her feet, she wrapped anything available to her around feet. Paper, rags were her shoes. Working in the cold harsh fields, Bea’s feet suffered severe frostbite causing scaring that is still in evidence. Three years later and after Germany was defeated, a friend, a KGB agent, was instrumental in smuggling Bea into Germany and eventually she was sent to the United States. While waiting to be sent to the United States, Bea was held at a deportation camp in Germany.  Immigrating to the states in 1947, she was sent to a distant relative, thereafter attending school in New Brunswick NJ in order to earn a high school diploma. While going to school she worked two jobs to earn money for her subsistence. In 1956 she married Bernard Sussman. Three of the Sussman brothers and their Wives founded Sussman's Supermarket chain. Alongside of her husband, Beatruce worked as a cashier and later branched out and became a successful licensed realtor. Shortly after her marriage, her husband was diagnosed with a muscular disease. She gave birth to 3 children. Unfortunately one of her children, a girl, died of cancer at the age of 10. That was the beginning of Beatrice's involvement in charities. Through her hard work and dedication, Bea has turned her unpleasant beginnings and personal losses into a rewarding and fulfilling life. Her deep losses have made her aware of the need to help others. Bea's passion for offering assistance to less fortunate families became her priority and her passion has involved her with Hadassah,Technician, National Council of Women, Friends of Tel Aviv University, Paul and Bess Sigel Hebrew Academy, Zionist of America, B'Nai Brith Women and Charity of Israel Bonds in West Hartford, Connecticut. The State of Israel honored Beatrice by naming her "WOMEN OF THE YEAR". She recently joined the Board of "FUND for H.O.P.E., Inc. to benefit Autistic children.

Gary was born in Canton, Ohio and at six years old, Gary’s parents moved and settled in West Los Angeles, California. After high school, Gary attended Santa Monica College and later UCLA, majoring in business administration and business law. While attending college, he worked at various jobs including working at his father’s picture frame manufacturing company.  At the age of 21, Gary and a long time friend created KC’s Shoe’s, an innovative men’s shoe boutique, specializing in high fashion men’s shoes. Later, Gary, together with his brother, a registered pharmacist, created Kaufman and Kaufman Enterprises Inc, a local family owned small chain of pharmacies.  Eventually, the two brothers owned Vannord Pharmacy, Kaufman’s Pharmacy, Rock Bottom Pharmacy and Mid Valley Pharmacy. By 1990 the brothers had sold the last of the pharmacies and retired. During his pharmacy days, Gary invested in local single family homes and later purchased property in the Ft. Lauderdale area of South Florida. In 1996, Gary moved to South Florida and continued to invest in single family homes from Naples, Florida to Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Taking care of and managing real estate is very demanding. Gary now considers himself semi-retired. Re- married in 1998 to the love of his life, Gary and his wife Hope, (a health care provider) created and opened South Florida Center for H.O.P.E., Inc, in 2001, a medical clinic dedicated to treating patients with various conditions using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Since studies have shown Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to be an effective treatment for Autism, Gary and Hope together with Mary Marchione and Lauren O’Brien organized Fund for H.O.P.E., a not for public foundation