The slideshow below contains graphics from events Adam has created, produced, and been instrumental on leading up to Value Culture, ALL philanthropic WITH A cultural impact working AND WORKING with over 50 non profits.
Founder’s Story
Executive Director and Founder of Value Culture Adam Swig owes it to his grandmother. In a conversation with her in 2011, she said, “Honey, I’d love for you to get involved in philanthropy.”
Without question, Adam did as Grandmas know best. He volunteered on the Impact Grants Initiative (IGI) giving committee to benefit non profit community programs. With a bachelors degree in communication from Santa Clara University, his summer breaks spent interning for the Say Hey Foundation, and a senior thesis focused on marketing and communications for non profits, he wasn’t going in blind.
The IGI committee wanted to throw a big event to celebrate the non profit programs and engage young professionals into philanthropy and charitable giving. The cohort had a hard time coming up with an appealing event that would accomplish this goal. Adam took charge and led the planning effort for what became ‘The Big Mitzvah’. With Adam’s expansive network, plus life and work experience in professional music, sports, and marketing, it was destined for success.
It really was a hit. From then on Adam received non stop calls to create events to connect young professionals to charitable organizations. In demand by his peers and non profit organizations for this always challenging task, Adam created his own brand of unique events as well as connecting thousands of people to culture, heritage, arts, spirituality, music, and always philanthropic causes in a fun manner. The events were mostly described as “lit.”
The picture above is from the first annual Hanukkah in Paris toy drive holiday party (in San Francisco) attended by over 600 people. Thrown annually since 2014 in association with the the US Marines Corps Toys for Tots program, Adam has collected over 600 toys each holiday season for underprivileged children. Adam aims to spread these holiday toy drives to other cities, like he has in Los Angeles since 2016. Hanukkah in Paris has become a San Francisco institution and one of the most anticipated holiday events each year.
Today, Adam has worked with and supported over 60 non profits, through dozens and dozens of events that he’s created, produced, and consulted. Through these experiences, Adam felt the need to expand on his service and create something for a new generation of philanthropy. The universe agreed. Only 13 days after the Internal Revenue Service received the paperwork his new venture was approved.
With this new non profit initiative underway, he aims to scale up this necessary work with like minded collaborators and funders to now, more than ever, bring the world together and ‘Value Culture.”
Adam was born and raised in San Francisco culturally Jewish with a focus on values, while also being heavily influenced by the many different cultures and neighborhoods in the diverse city. His friends came from all over, and he grew up celebrating all of their backgrounds and their rich cultural histories. Passed down from generation to generation in his family is a Jewish saying that was very important to Adam growing up, and still to this day, Tikkun Olam. It means “to heal/repair the world.” It does not mean to repair the Jewish world, but rather to repair the world in its entirety, one of the many values Adam hopes to spread through Value Culture.
4 years after its inception, Hanukkah in Paris 2018 was voted the most popular event of the day on Do the Bay, a popular website to find local Bay Area events.
Portrait of Adam and his grandmothers by Oakland Artist Akeem Raheem
The first event.
Adam’s 2nd Big Mitzvah event (due to popular demand) brought together over 600 young adults from the Jewish community and beyond at Mezzanine in San Francisco. It was a night of philanthropy including a musical showcase Adam designed like no other, featuring then unknowns Doja Cat, the Free Nationals, and Eric Rachmany of Rebelution, now stars of today.
Great-Grandfather Benjamin Swig with President John F. Kennedy
It’s in E.D. Adam’s genes
“In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Swig name is synonymous with generosity. Locally, you would be hard-pressed to find a museum, school, nonprofit organization, arts venue or noble cause that has not been touched by the descendants of Benjamin Swig (1893–1980). Now into the fifth generation, the family is still putting a mark on causes large and small. How do they sustain that legacy of largesse? As third-generation scion Rick Swig says, “It’s simple. It’s in our DNA.” As we learned from speaking with a few of Ben’s heirs, it’s the example handed down from one generation to the next.” - Jennifer Raiser, The Swig Effect, Nob Hill Gazette, January 8, 2019
Adam is very inspired by his elders, and is blessed to have both of his grandmothers still in his life. His grandmother on his mothers side, Geraldine Gussman is also an inspiration to Value Culture as she is a community contributor down in Palm Springs, California. She and her husband Lou Silberman (Adam’s grandfather Irwin Gussman passed away in 2001) help to organize a Shabbat at Wendy’s every friday for their friends and community and were featured in this award winning mini-documentary, proving that even the littlest things you can do for your community matter. More info and the full film at www.wendysshabbat.com
She inspired Adam that you can Shabbat anywhere, which he’s taken to heart in his event planning.
Also if you don’t know what Shabbat is, this is a great intro video.