- The Seed Planted at Grandfather's Funeral
At age 13, driving through Anacostia for his grandfather's funeral, Bruce was struck by how many kids his age were out of school during the weekday. That moment of awareness planted a seed that would shape his life's work decades later.
- I Have a Dream in Anacostia
Inspired by a 60 Minutes interview with Eugene Lang in 1980-81, Bruce and his partner launched an I Have a Dream program at Johnson Middle School in Anacostia—not just writing checks but deeply involving themselves in 60 sixth-graders' lives through tutoring, mentoring, and field trips. The school had a 40% absentee rate.
- Birth of the Do Good Institute
Starting with a single class in 2011 at the University of Maryland, Bruce and his wife Karen transformed their vision into a campus-wide movement. What began as teaching informed giving to students evolved into over 10,000 students per semester engaged in do good programs across every college—from engineering to athletics.
- The Do Good Challenge
Structured like Shark Tank, the annual Do Good Challenge invites students to pitch nonprofit ideas. The first year winner—a student collecting leftover cafeteria food for homeless shelters—has since expanded to over 200 campuses nationwide. The event draws 3,000+ students and has become a cornerstone of campus culture.
- Jerusalem Youth Chorus: Music Transcending Division
Bruce shares his decade-long support of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, where Palestinian and Jewish youth make beautiful a cappella music together. When Trump canceled their USAID grant, Bruce organized six fundraising concerts in Florida, demonstrating how relationships dissolve divisiveness when people simply see each other as humans.
- It Made Me Feel Wonderful
Dr. Klein identifies the core truth Bruce reveals: "It made me feel wonderful." That simple statement captures why doing good is the ultimate anxiety crusher and the path to meaning. The reward isn't external—it's the limitless joy that comes from turning the camera outward and helping others.
Interview with Bruce Levenson
About this Episode
In this profoundly inspiring episode, Dr. Mark Klein and Enid Borden welcome Bruce Levenson, a self-made business success who transformed his wealth into meaningful social impact. Bruce shares his remarkable journey from witnessing inequality at his grandfather's funeral in Anacostia at age 13, to founding the I Have a Dream program in Washington DC, to ultimately creating the transformative Do Good Institute at the University of Maryland. Now engaging over 10,000 students annually, the Do Good Institute has become central to the university's ethos, earning recognition from the UN Secretary-General as "the first do good campus in the world." Bruce candidly discusses how helping others makes him feel wonderful, the importance of partnership in philanthropy, and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus bringing Palestinian and Jewish youth together through music. The conversation explores the aerial view perspective on optimism, why doing good is the ultimate anxiety crusher, and how you don't need wealth to make a profound difference—sometimes it's as simple as sharing your leftover sandwich.