All posts for the month August, 2014

Steve Ball: Founding Trustee, Dedicated Volunteer and Emeritus Trustee

John Goldfarb continues his series on “Getting to Know the Dedicated and Talented DJF Board of Trustees” with his recent conversation with Steve Ball, the strategic leader of the organization:

John: What made you decide to become a Founding Trustee of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation (DJF)?

Steve: Fred Fiddle and Linda Walder, the co-founders of DJF have been close personal friends for many years, and I knew Danny (Fiddle) since the day he was born. When he passed away, it seemed like the only thing to do to support this new and what turned out to be groundbreaking organization, named for a special boy.

John: What has been your role on the DJF Board?

Steve: Over the years I have helped the Board of Trustees to formulate a strategic vision that encompasses a balance of our finances and objectives. I see my role as advising Linda and the Board with a plan for each year to help the organization succeed in achieving the goals of our mission. I have been glad to serve the organization and hopefully make an impact.

John: Would you please tell me about your job that you do outside of DJF?

Steve: I was a banker for years for Merrill Lynch, and now I do some teaching at Rutgers University Business School, and work on a lot of different things, primarily in the real estate business and private investments.

John: What is your personal connection to autism?

Steve: Well again, my personal connection is knowing Fred and Linda and obviously knowing Danny for years, and that’s how I got to understand about autism. If it wasn’t for that, quite frankly I probably wouldn’t know a lot about it.

John: Does your own family have any members on the spectrum?

Steve: We have in fact. There is someone in my family who’s on the spectrum, a person who is able to live pretty independently, but yes we have.

John: What advice would you give anyone who has a loved one on the autism spectrum?

Steve: Well like anything, probably do a fair amount of research: try to understand your loved one and their challenges as best as you can because if you don’t become educated, I think it’s difficult for all. The DJF website is a great place to start http://www.djfiddlefoundation.org where one can find many resources and updated information.

John: What do you think the future holds for people living with autism?

Steve: I think it’s brighter than it had been over the last 10 years. It seems like the awareness factor has gone to new levels for a host of different reasons, one of which is the work and advocacy of DJF.

John: Do you have any mentors who inspired you to continue working for DJF?

Steve: The one person who’s inspired me really has been Linda. She’s amazing; everyone should be able to channel the grief that she and Fred went through; she has been able to turn tremendous grief into a positive and lasting energy in Danny’s honor and memory. We are all inspired by her.

Steve with Linda at a DJF fundraiser hosted by him and his generous and talented wife Pam at their home.

Fred Fiddle, Co-Founder of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, is Dedicated to Fulfilling A Mission in Memory of His Son

John Goldfarb interviewed The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation’s Co-Founder, Fred Fiddle who explains his role at The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation.

Fred Fiddle, Co-Founder of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation

John: What was your goal in co-founding The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation?

Fred: Daniel was my son, and Linda, the Founder and Executive Director and I co-founded The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation in memory of him, and to carry out his legacy with the purpose of providing opportunities for the diverse adult autism community so as to raise their quality of life and give them a place in the world that would be better for them and their families.

John: Why is being a member of the Board of Trustees important to you and what is your current role?

Fred: As one of the organization’s founders, I continue to help oversee the direction of both short term and long term goals while maintaining the mission to focus on adults living with Autism. I’m the treasurer of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, and chair the oversight of all financial aspects of the organization .

John: Would you please tell me about your job, or what you do now?

Fred: For many years, I’ve worked on Wall Street. I am a banker, and I’m an investment banker and originate what are known as capital markets transactions.

John: In what other ways have you connected to individuals and families because of your work with The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation?

Fred:, I’ve developed close relationships with other families that have autistic sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, as I’m sure your well aware, this is a situation which has grown in significant proportions over the years. There’s many now that are on the spectrum and I’ve reached out to many of those in need and have been blessed to come into contact with many families that have family members on the spectrum, and it reminds me of times with my son and also reminds me that giving back is something that’s really important in life.

John: What are your hopes for the Autism community?

Fred: I would tell you that the future, I would hope continues to improve. I would hope that there would be more organizations either like ours or at least similar enough and that they’re supportive of the autism community. I would hope that government plays a larger role in sponsoring programs and services for those living with autism. Certainly there’s a lot of effort and research that’s gone into trying to establish the grounds on which autism is triggered in individuals, but the bottom line is, there’s an enormous population that are currently living with autism, most of those individuals will live a fairly long life, a typical lifespan, and everyday there are kids that are being born that will at some point be diagnosed, so the size and scope of the issue is significant, and I only hope that the support meets the challenge.

Autism For A Lifetime

All posts for the month August, 2014

Steve Ball: Founding Trustee, Dedicated Volunteer and Emeritus Trustee

Fred Fiddle, Co-Founder of The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, is Dedicated to Fulfilling A Mission in Memory of His Son

Recent Posts

Archives

Donate