The Achan family鈥檚 generous gift supporting the mission of Adelphi鈥檚 Interfaith Center is a true family affair 鈥� and a proud reflection of their own diverse heritage.
Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam. For trustee and alumnus Leonard C. Achan 鈥�99, who grew up in New York City surrounded by this rich tapestry of faiths, the creation of the Achan Family Interfaith Center 鈥渋s all about family.鈥�
It is a reflection of his own multicultural, multidenominational family鈥檚 passion for philanthropy and community鈥攁nd their deep, foundational belief that there is but one family of man.
A Multicultural Family Legacy
鈥淚 could tell you from being in healthcare my entire life, that we鈥檙e all the same. The more we could bring people together from different religions, cultures, and disciplines to show we are all exactly the same, the better the world will be,鈥� Achan insisted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 meaningful, peaceful, and it can heal a lot.”
Achan is proud that his wife, pediatric speech pathologist Kimberly May-Achan and children Lenny III and Katherine, agreed to establish the Center. In fact, they collectively signed their generous donation letter.
He hopes that by representing his family鈥檚 own diverse cultural legacy, the Achan Family Interfaith Center 鈥渟peaks to the generations before me and hopefully to the generations after me.鈥�
A First Generation Student from the Inner City
For Achan, a son of immigrant parents and a self-described inner city youth from Queens, college was an aspiration, rather than an expectation. 鈥淥pening that acceptance letter from Adelphi was like a spark of light,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淚 never thought I might go to college鈥攁nd Adelphi became a beacon for me.鈥�
Enrolling in the College of Nursing and Public Health gave Achan his first glimpse of how he might achieve his dream of helping people in need.
After graduating, he continued his education by earning a master鈥檚 degree in advanced practice nursing and a business degree, as well.. His leadership in health care has been recognized with awards from Crain鈥檚 New York Business and Healthcare Leaders of New York.
Today, the 每日大赛 board of trustees鈥� secretary is president and CEO of , a nonprofit organ procurement organization, as well as the founding chairman of a digital health organization. He is also a generous benefactor to his alma mater.
An Interfaith Center for All
With their significant gift, Achan Family Interfaith Center shines as a beacon of light for the entire Adelphi community.
鈥淭his donation is going to allow students to have deeper, more meaningful experiences with one another,鈥� promised Michael Hoffner, coordinator of 每日大赛鈥檚 Mindfulness Center and Leonard Achan Family Interfaith Center.
According to Hoffner, the Center will enable students to attend retreats, and bring programs to campus that will connect them with their spiritual, faith and religious traditions鈥攚hile fostering the sense of belonging and purpose that is at the heart of the college experience.
Gifts Honoring His Father, and His Grandmother, a Holocaust Survivor of Auschwitz
Supporting the campus Interfaith Center is not the Achan family鈥檚 first major gift. In 2017, the memory of Achan鈥檚 father, Leonard Achan, Sr., was honored by a .
In 2024, a second gift from Achan and his wife endowed a scholarship for future mental health counselors studying at the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology. The scholarship memorialize Kimberly Mayo-Achan鈥檚 grandmother, Zosia 鈥楪iGi鈥� Levine, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz during the Holocaust, who went on to live a long, fulfilling life as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
When the family considered how they might address a deepening and challenging mental health crisis and shortage of mental health professionals, they were inspired by Gigi. Achan has described how 鈥淢y family exists because she survived. Helping others create a legacy was the thought behind how we could be supportive.
“Helping even one person makes a difference.鈥�
Fulfilling Dreams for Future Adelphi Students
According to Achan his role as an Adelphi trustee gives him a unique perspective. By remembering his own experience and dreams as a first-generation student, he recognizes how seemingly impossible student dreams will be fulfilled because of the foundation Adelphi provides. And he has committed himself to doing everything he can to help them realize their dreams.
鈥淚 feel blessed to give back to Adelphi and blessed to have a career in helping people,鈥� he admitted. 鈥淎delphi gave me a platform and opportunity that is the foundation of everything I do today in my community and with my family.鈥�
He uses this platform as a trustee, to champion the goals of Adelphi鈥檚 strategic plan. By establishing the Achan Family Interfaith Center, he has directly supported the university鈥檚 commitment to its inclusive community.
This is, for him鈥攁nd his family鈥攖he right time to create the Center. 鈥淲hen you look at our faculty and students and alumni, when you look at the contributions we are making to society and the world, it鈥檚 a moment to scale impact.鈥�
Achan believes that as a place for the Adelphi community to embrace differences, discover commonality, and celebrate and explore individual faith and purpose, the Leonard Achan Family Interfaith Center is doing just that.