Marilyn S. Broad Foundation

07/07/2026

07/06/2026

We had a "funtastic" time volunteering last week at Friendship Circle NJ and interacting with the amazing kids at Life Village! Thank you for having us!

07/04/2026

As a child, I always admired the way Marylin approached life! She was focused, generous, caring, and always loving. She loved to challenge us as kids to think outside the box and look at life with empathy. Of course, there was always some humor to help make her visits all the more special. I didn’t get to see her as often as I wanted, but when I did, it was always a blast.

I will always remember my first trip to Europe as a young teenager. Not because Greece was so amazing, which it was, but because our trip required a layover in Washington DC for a day. I got to spend an entire afternoon with an Exxon Mobile executive. She brought me to her office where everyone went out of their way to be kind to her and introduce themselves to me. Then we had lunch at this amazing restaurant where she slipped me a few hundred dollars and told me to get myself something nice in Europe.

Of course, I spent most of the money buying presents for everyone who wasn’t on the trip with me! But that generosity has always stuck with me… For me, the MSB foundation represents a tiny window into the remarkable woman that Marylin was. We get to help the neediest of the needy and spend time with our huge goofball family. What can be any better? - Ethan Serviss | Voting Committee

07/04/2026

Everyone gets wrapped up in their daily lives. Being able to be mindful and give something for someone else’s benefit is very grounding. I am grateful that Marilyn gave us this gift of mindfulness. - Kathryn Serviss | Voting Committee

07/03/2026

I was the youngest member of this family when MSB was founded, not old enough to vote in any capacity. Over the last 25 years I grew up along side this foundation and while I transitioned to adulthood this foundation evolved as well, in the structure and organization and the causes we championed. This family also grew, but one thing remained steadfast: Marylin’s vision, of bringing this family together to make whatever small change we could in this world.

She was a beacon of light, instilling in me an unbreakable resolve and strong work ethic. She was the only other woman in my young life besides my mother who I genuinely looked up to. Now I have an AMAZING wife (who became our Secretary) and a bright young daughter of my own, and I try to pass on Marylin’s many lessons to her. Because of her and this foundation, she will know the true meaning of gratitude and giving back. - Robert Serviss | Voting Committee

07/03/2026

For me, the Foundation is the personification of my smart, thoughtful, giving and fun friend Marilyn. She was a woman ahead of her time. She was a role model for all women who feel that showing their strength, their expertise, their knowledge does not diminish their ability to be loving, thoughtful, and kind while recognizing the importance of family.

Marilyn came out to California to help after the birth of each of my boys and honestly, I feel that her presence at the very beginning of their lives helped influence their development in a positive way. I know my interpretation is a very personal one, but I feel incredibly fortunate that I had the time to form one of the most meaningful relationships of my life. She was my sister from another mother. - Adrienne Serviss | Advisory Committee

07/02/2026

As the Marilyn S. Broad Foundation and I both approach our 25th year, I wanted to speak to what this organization, and by extension this family, means to me, but as I begin to reflect, I'm confronted with the fact that I cannot fully untangle myself from it at all.

I didn't have the opportunity to know Marilyn; and from stories, printed out emails, and an unwavering belief that I am instantly everybody's favorite gen 4 Serviss, I so deeply wish I could. What I do know is her ethos - her belief in peoples goodness, her unconditional generosity, her unwavering fight.

I grew up with years marked by annual meetings. It was quietly observing individual passion about injustice and fierce advocacy to fund its cure. It was dynamic community-based volunteer work, watching "sharing is caring" transform from a preschool idea to a core living value.

When I look back, it is crystal clear that through this foundation, Marilyn's legacy of family and philanthropy became my baseline. And these qualities, of equality, justice, and service, shaped my trajectory, as a paramedic, as regular volunteer providing low barrier health care.

Thinking about what the Marilyn S. Broad Foundation means to me, I think of who I've had the privilege to become. I am who Marilyn and who you've all taught me to be, whether loudly through words or silently through actions. And I'm incredibly proud and grateful to say I come from a clan of people who so effortlessly go to bat to make a difference. - Jessica Serviss | Voting Committee

07/02/2026

The MSB foundation represents Marilyn’s vision: family , giving back and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. To me, it embodies compassion, generosity, and the belief that through charitable service, we can create lasting positive change in our communities. - Lisa Serviss | Voting Committee

07/01/2026

Marilyn was the kind of woman that you'd read about in books for Women's History Month. Smart, tough, focused and resilient. The legacy she left behind has inspired me to try and leave my own mark on the world, and to never apologize for having an opinion.

As the only woman in Generation 3, it felt daunting to even attempt to fill her shoes. But I don't think Marilyn would worry about anyone filling her shoes - she'd probably tell us to see how far we could go in our own shoes, and then tell the next generation to keep going further. - Emily Serviss | Board of Directors