2009-Another Active Year for the Richard & Rochelle Maize Foundation

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The past year has been another active one for the Richard and Rochelle Maize Foundation. A quick review of the many organizations and causes which they have supported during 2009 provide a glimpse into the social responsibility approach of Richard Maize, a prominent Los Angeles Real Estate developer, and his family:

The past year has been another active one for the Richard and Rochelle Maize Foundation. A quick review of the many organizations and causes which they have supported during 2009 provide a glimpse into the social responsibility approach of Richard Maize, a prominent Los Angeles Real Estate developer, and his family:

Green Halloween
For Halloween 2009, the Maize family home in Los Angeles went totally Green at the initiative of Ally Maize and the Green Youth Movement (GYM) of which she is the founder. Richard Maize's family home was completely "Hallo-greened" with Great pumpkins, witches, hobgoblins, gravestones and loads of other Halloween paraphernalia...

"Our house looked amazing and many people came from great distances to see and take pictures," said Ally's father, Richard Maize. But it wasn't just for show! The theme was developed around a strong "Eek-O Friendly" message, driving home the need to recycle and take care of the environment. Moreover, the Maize family has made a real contribution to the future:

"We had around 650 trick-or-treaters come by and Richard Maize and his family committed to planting a tree for each and every trick-or-treater who came by. The Maize family has thus planted 650 trees for the future," Richard Maize added.

Supporting Children with Cancer
The Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation rallied to the support of the Chase Foundation's Child Life Program a non-profit organization which addresses the social, emotional, and developmental needs of children dealing with the stress of illness and hospitalization.

The program was originally established by the Los Angeles Children’s Hospital nearly 40 years. In 2000 it was renamed in honor of Chase Richards who died from cancer at the age of two-years-old. His parents, Susan and Robin Richards, co-founded the Chase Foundation with the aim of ensuring that the Child Life Program was available at no cost to patients under the age of 21 and their families.

Through the Chase Foundation Annual Golf Tournament, held for the past 12 years to raise funds in support of the Chase Child Life services, the Maize family has generously participated in the sponsorship effort.
Richard Maize commented: "We were honored to be able to support the efforts of the Chase Child Life Services through our participation in this fun event...the event may be fun, but the intent behind it is deadly serious - We are talking about improving the lives of hospitalized children and their families"

Critical Help for a Young Drug Addict
Among the important activities undertaken during 2009 was the help Richard Maize gave to a young drug addict. Richard Maize personally tells the story of the 29-year-old son of a friend and his. The son was addicted to drugs and alcohol:

"This young man - we'll call him Aaron - was once a star high school athlete in both baseball and football. He had a fiancé who was a doll. He lost all of that to alcohol that he eventually admitted he had ‘used horribly’ since he was 17 years old.

"A few months ago, Aaron requested money from me for ‘back payments on his car.’ I realized the amount he was looking for was less than a ‘band-aid’ and there was something else going on in his life that needed attention. He denied any other issues in his life, but he had more of a problem than needing some money for car back payments. He had a severe drug-drinking problem and was literally drinking himself to death. He was in the process of trying to detoxify himself, and hadn't slept, eaten or drunk for six days.

“He was thus terribly dehydrated and couldn't walk. His father, through my recommendation, called Bet T'shuva for a rehab alternative and to get help. I donate to this cause and thought I could be of some help. They turned him down and said that he needed to detoxify before they would considered his entry there.

“His father searched frantically for a hospital where his son could get medical attention and a suitable place (or any place for that matter) to detoxify. No place would allow them without up-front money. He was literally dying on the street. I paid the hospital the $2,500 up front to put Aaron into the ‘detox’ program. He would then go into a program at Bet T’shuva.

“He is now fully on the road to recovery and both he and his father have since called me and thanked me sobbingly for saving his life.”

Helping a Hurricane Katrina Family Start a New Life
During 2009 the story emerged about Richard Maize with roots embedded in Hurricane Katrina and one family’s plight and search for a new life.

A professional man and his young family, were typical of the victims of this natural disaster. In an effort to start a new life after their home was completely destroyed, they packed their belongings – what was left of them – into their car and drove the thousands of miles to Los Angeles. After staying in a hotel for about six weeks, the man and his wife struggled to re-establish a home and a life for their family.

To do this, the man had to commute to Louisiana on a regular basis to maintain his professional business, while his wife remained in Los Angeles to look after the children and see them settled into their new school.
It was during this difficult period that the family met Richard and Rochelle Maize, who on hearing their story, spontaneously offered assistance as part of their effort to heal those who had been affected by Hurricane Katrina.

In a heart-felt letter, just released, the man states: “I cannot explain in detail the kindness and extensive efforts that Richard and his wife have exhibited to my family to assist us and make us feel welcome I the Los Angeles community...suffice to say they did and I will be eternally indebted to the Maize family for their goodwill...

“I have come to know Richard and respect him as a man of character who is extremely devoted to his family and community...I truly consider him a friend...”

Los Angeles Community Activism
Despite his dedicated involvement in the world of business, initiating and sponsoring international human rights advocacy Web sites and being involved in major national support programs, Rochelle and Richard Maize and their family are very grounded in the local Los Angeles community and are very active and visible in supporting and working for local events and charities. Witness their involvement in two major local events.

During October Richard Maize initiated a call for volunteers to help with “The Great Pumpkin” a drive to raise funds through Pumpkin Patch for Charity.
Local organization, Archer Dads, in association with the L.A. Works, City Year and Rock the Classroom, held a Pumpkin Patch and Halloween Carnival in conjunction with the Archer Fall Festival this past weekend. In making the call for volunteers, Richard Maize said he felt a strong need to be involved with local community events and dedicated himself and his family to community service at a grass-roots level.

"This is our community, this is where we live and work, and this is where our friends and associates are," said Richard Maize. "We are committed to helping the local community which we as a prime target of our humanitarian work.”

As a further example of this approach, Richard Maize and his family are instrumental in sponsoring Children Uniting Nations (CUN), a proactive organization created to bring attention to the plight of “at-risk” and foster youth. The goal is to reach as many children in out-of-home care by offering role-model support, guidance, and a sense of community and to promote the importance of education.

“The support services, awareness and advocacy provided by CUN have resulted in large-scale community involvement successfully proliferating positive achievements in the lives of children in foster care, "said Richard Maize. In support of the organization to raise funds for the organization, a day of the child, was organized during November. Day of the Child is a free, one-day event benefiting foster and at-risk youth that features live entertainment by chart topping music groups, celebrity appearances, food and festivities.

Past celebrities and entertainers include Stevie Wonder, Black Eyed Peas, WyclefJean, Chaka Khan, Colby O’Donis, Maria Conchita Alonso, Miguel Nunez, Christina Milian, Aaron Carter, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, The Power of Three, DJ Spinderella, Slade Smiley and Erik Estrada.

"This is the organization’s largest mentor recruitment event, consisting of over two thousand attendees including foster children, mentors and volunteers,” Richard Maize quoted the event’s organizers as saying.

Richard and Rochelle Maize and their family, as part of their continuous philanthropic work through the Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation, agreed in 2009 to become sponsors of United in Harmony, a Los Angeles-based charitable organization, dedicated to helping inner-city LA kids aged 7-13-years-old from shelter programs who are living below the poverty line. Founded by a group of volunteers nearly 20 years ago, United in Harmony supports and directs free mentoring programs, summer- and winter-break residential camp sessions, and an annual Christmas party.

Richard Maize, in agreeing to assist with sponsorship, said: “The Maize Family will be happy to help. Ally has been a counselor there for years and loves the work that they do...count us in.”

Developing Young Leaders Important to Richard Maize
One of the most important projects in which Richard Maize is involved is Young Leadership.

As a volunteer mentor for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles' Real Estate and Construction Division's Young Leadership Development Institute, Richard Maize, an established real estate professional and co-founder of the Rochelle and Richard Maize Foundation, says he "...is proud to again be among such a distinguished group of seasoned real estate professionals committed to educating and empowering young philanthropic leaders."

The Young Leadership Development Institute (YLDI) is an intense, two-year program, offering young real estate professionals high level leadership training, networking opportunities, mentoring and Jewish Federation education. Richard Maize added: "Being a mentor is a fulfilling experience and offers the opportunity to contribute knowledge and insight to guide and influence a future leader in his or her professional development path."

As a part of the program, YLDI participants are responsible for initiating activities with their mentors. They meet each other several times yearly and have one scheduled joint speaking engagement at an annual YLDI session meeting, which are held monthly.