Finding the Givers Longtime philanthropists Betty and Dr. Leonard Kornreich to host Options For All gala

At charity galas, some attendees enjoy the exquisite food, others relish hobnobbing with local celebrities, and many attend solely to support the mission itself. The goal is to find individuals who encompass all of the above.

Betty and Dr. Leonard Kornreich are passionate about the work being done at Options For All, and want to share its mission with others. They are also interested in cultivating the next generation of donors for organizations across the region. “Not everybody’s going to have the will to do and give,” Leonard, a retired Chula Vista pediatrician shared with GB Magazine. “But a certain percentage will.” Betty adds, “And we have a habit of finding those people!”

The Kornreichs, together for 40 years, are powerhouses of the San Diego area philanthropic community, using their dedication and fundraising ability to help a variety of worthy causes. This year, they will be bringing this dynamic to Options For All, serving as honorary chairs for the San Diego nonprofit’s 2nd Annual Bow Ties & Sandals Gala: Under a Pacific Moon. The event is being held on August 28, both in-person on the rooftop of the La Jolla Cove Hotel & Suites and virtually via Zoom due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Proceeds from this event will support the launch of an innovative Options For All service offering that will meet the specific needs of aging individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This new program will provide sophisticated, person-centered services to an often-overlooked community and will help them live healthy, independent, and meaningful lives as they grow older.

Giving back is a trait that runs in the family, going back multiple generations. “My grandmother helped everybody in the small town of Pittsburg, Texas where she was from,” Betty shared. “She had a reputation for doing that. But she also had a reputation, ‘You better not say no to me.’”

Volunteering for organizations like Salvation Army, Patrons of the Prado, Women’s Medical Auxiliary and MADCAPS (Mothers and Daughters Club Assisting Philanthropy), Betty acquired a reputation as someone people could not say no to when she solicited for donations. “Betty absolutely knows how to close the deal. She knows a lot of people, and she is well-liked,” says Gala Honorary Committee Member, Gail Finkenberg, whose son Brent has been an Options For All program participant for approximately two years. “I think it is going to be a huge benefit to Options For All to have them involved in our gala.”

Even people who have not met the Kornreichs know of their prowess, such as Gala Honorary Committee Member, Lisa Fisher. “I certainly have heard their name, and I know they are very philanthropic,” Fisher says. With a son involved in Options For All, Fisher is also well-acquainted with the organization “They offer a range of services, and work hard to connect with people based on their own particular needs,” Fisher says.

Betty and Leonard also instilled the importance of giving back in their now-33-year-old daughter Jennifer, who has worked for Options For All since 2016. “My mom is the cream of the crop when it comes to nonprofit fundraising,” Jennifer says. “I absolutely, 100 percent learned from the best.”

Over the past few years, Jennifer has presented Options For All to her parents as a cause worthy of support. The Kornreichs are excited to bring their philanthropic background to help the nonprofit this year, with Leonard calling it “an extraordinarily worthwhile organization that gives individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities a future filled with opportunities. Options For All empowers these individuals to acquire social, personal and vocational skills to better make their way in life,” Leonard says. “When I go to some of the locations where Options has placed individuals, I find that they have a lot of pride and sense of accomplishment.”