Brother Gerry Garcia (Yale, 1994) has been giving back to AEPi almost since he first helped to start the Epsilon Upsilon chapter in the late 80s. And, today, through his company, PiForever, he’s continuing to help his brothers while giving back to AEPi. His company’s model is based on giving back to AEPi, with a portion of every jewelry sale being donated to the AEPi Foundation in order to ensure that future Jewish students have the opportunities that he had while in AEPi.
A New Haven, CT native, Gerry got involved in Jewish youth communal activities in part because of his name. “He said, there’s this thing going on with Jewish kids, you should probably give it a look. And, so I went to this event and happened to be sitting across the table from two Deadheads (dedicated fans of the Grateful Dead) and they both decided that Gerry Garcia was going to be a part of this group. One of those guys was the president of the BBYO chapter and the other was the regional president,” said Gerry. “They came and picked me up for events and got me involved. Suddenly, I had this new Jewish home. I found new friends who are among my closest to this day.”
That desire to find a home in the Jewish community continued when he enrolled at Yale in the fall of 1989. “I was really looking for BBYO on the college campus. I didn’t find what I was looking for at Hillel. The last thing anyone anticipates doing at Yale is being a part of a fraternity. It’s not a very Greek school. I was a freshman, and I met this older guy on campus, a senior named Jonathan Greenberg. I told him I was looking for BBYO on campus and he said that there isn’t BBYO in college but I’m helping to start a chapter of AEPi. I soon became one of the founding fathers after interviewing with Andy Borans.”
The next summer, Gerry attended his first AEPi International convention and got his first exposure to the bigger world of AEPi. “I came back from convention completely fired up. I used that enthusiasm and took over rush and we brought in an incredible Beta class that sent our chapter on an incredible trajectory. And, then it just sort of never stopped.”
Gerry served as an intern for a week (for then Executive Vice President Sid Dunn) in the International office in Indianapolis and, later that summer, met a brother from another chapter who was interested in running for Undergraduate Supreme Governor. Intrigued, Gerry came to convention that summer and ran for the position and was elected to serve as an undergraduate on the fraternity’s Supreme Board of Governors. “I got to travel a lot and visit other chapters. I met some great guys doing that.”
Following graduation, Gerry took a position in the Connecticut office of ADL and began his volunteer service for the fraternity by serving as Yale’s chapter advisor. After moving to New York for a time to work on Wall Street, Gerry returned to New Haven to help his family and began a second stint as chapter advisor.
“And, now, I’m chapter advisor for the third time and helping to organize the 35th anniversary of the chapter!” Gerry is also a Regional Governor covering parts of the Northeast U.S.
Gerry began a career in New Haven which included serving on the New Haven City Council. He eventually ran in the democratic primary for the office of Connecticut’s Secretary of State. While his bid was unsuccessful, his increased visibility landed him a position in the state’s consumer protection division.
“I would have been the first Hispanic in state history to hold a statewide elected position. It was an amazing experience, and I was able to boost a lot of careers because of it.”
After leaving state government, Gerry began a career in a health care start-up with an AEPi brother. He was later called back to public service, working in the City of New Haven’s economic development office. But his passion for AEPi has never wavered.
“Something that I realized is that we talk about commitment for a lifetime, but we really mean that for undergraduates. My experience in AEPi is much richer and different as a grownup than it was during those four years on a college campus.”
While living in New York, Gerry began a multi-year conversation with a New York friend who was in the diamond business. “Uri – who is now my business partner – came back from Israel and wanted to do something with and for the Jewish community. He has access to diamonds and great price flexibility and wanted to do something special. I told him that I’m a part of this organization of 120,000 Jewish guys and we have this phrase – commitment for a lifetime. We have great pricing and the highest quality jewelry. We can pay it forward to the AEPi Foundation and to the future of Jewish leadership.”
And, PiForever was born. Gerry and Uri were excited to begin supporting AEPi, becoming sponsors of AEPi convention and the alumni cruise. For every sale, PiForever donates money back to the AEPi Foundation to support the future of the Jewish community. By creating custom jewelry – much of it with AEPi or Jewish themes – PiForever helps AEPi brothers (and others) to find the jewelry they want for gifts or themselves while supporting an organization that is close to the heart and has aligned values.
“AEPi does incredible things in the Jewish community, it gives students a valuable experience and helps them become better Jewish leaders. If I can support that while helping brothers, I’m doing the right thing, too.”
#ProudtobeaPi
