The Olden Bears Cal alumni group, led by alumni Jim Kahn (class of '78) and Steven Gomberg (class of '79), recently raised over $600K for UC Berkeley programs supporting first-generation students, youth in foster care and student-athletes, including the Biology Scholars Program. They were interviewed by Jessica Park in the College of Letters & Science about their motivation to establish the Olden Bears group, the focus of their philanthropy, and the value they find in their work.
Excerpt from the article:
What types of initiatives does the Olden Bears organization focus on?
Jim Kahn: We started by addressing food insecurity, supporting the Basic Needs Center, the Alameda Food Bank and former Cal football player Elijah Hicks’ work to fight hunger in schools. From there, we asked what else we could do to support Cal students. In 2024, we gave $92,500 to the Berkeley Hope Scholars program, which helps current and former foster youth, probation youth and orphaned students navigate college. We’ve also contributed $95,000 to the Biology Scholars Program, supporting first-generation students who can’t afford unpaid summer research. Through the Fiat Lux Scholarship program, we pledged $100,000 and received a matching $100,000 grant from the Haas family. Since 2020, we’ve helped raise over $600,000 to support first-generation students, student-athletes and other Cal students.
