Farb, Carolyn

Carolyn Farb is an internationally known fundraiser, author, businesswoman, and philanthropist. During the past thirty years, she has raised over $25 million for a number of charities and worthy causes, the majority of which are based in Houston and benefit local organizations. Her hard work and devotion to others have earned her the nickname "the first lady of philanthropy," and she has received numerous accolades for her efforts.

Farb's interest in helping others began early in her life; as a teenager, she volunteered at the snack bar at Texas Children's Hospital. Her beloved grandfather, Jake Freedman, a businessman in Las Vegas, fostered her spirit of giving.

Farb became actively involved in fundraising in the 1970s, when she worked with groups such as the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, the Alley Theatre, and KUHT, Houston's public television station. The scope of her activities increased greatly during the 1980s, a period of boom and bust in Houston. Farb's zero-budget philosophy, her attention to detail, and her enthusiasm enabled her to raise record amounts of funds in that strained economy. In 1983, she was the first person in Texas to raise $1 million in one evening, for the Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research's Million Dollar Evening. In 1987, Farb chaired An Evening of Hope for the Bering Community Service Foundation, which benefited AIDS patients. Until that time, this disease had received scant positive attention and very little funding. In the early 1990s, Farb's efforts increased public awareness of another devastating disease, neurofibromatosis, with two fundraisers: My Heart Belongs to Daddy and I've Got a Crush on You. She has chaired several events benefiting the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, including Marvin's Million Dollar Dream for prostate and breast cancer research. Other health-related recipients include the Myasthena Gravis Foundation, the American Paralysis Association, the Leukemia Society of America, Cancer Fighters, United Cerebral Palsy, the Arthritis Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the March of Dimes.

Carolyn Farb's fundraising activities have also benefited various women's and children's causes, the homeless, and animals. These include the Ms. Foundation's Stars of Texas Gala, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the Pink Ribbons Project. Farb has worked in conjunction with the Rotary Clubs International to raise funds for Nicaraguan children devastated by earthquakes, and has chaired several UNICEF events. Other recipients include the Girl Scouts of America, the Star of Hope Mission, the Children's Miracle Network, and the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Farb's work has also enriched the arts and educational communities in Houston. She has raised money for the Alley Theatre, the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Society for the Performing Arts, among others. In 1996, she chaired the fundraising campaign for the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, specially constructed to house medieval frescoes in danger of destruction. The Quest for Excellence in 1999 raised funds to create an endowed chair in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Houston.

Farb has received many accolades for her work. These include Cancer Fighters of Houston's All-American Award, the Volunteers of America's Outstanding Human Service Award, the YWCA's Woman of the Year award in 1991, and the Dr. Robert Graves award from the Thyroid Society for Education and Research. She was named a Distinguished Woman by Northwood University in 1996, and was inducted into the Texas Philanthropy Hall of Fame in 1997. Farb has also served on numerous boards of directors in Houston, including the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and the Rothko Chapel Foundation.

Carolyn Farb is a native Houstonian. She attended the University of Oklahoma, where she studied journalism. She has contributed articles to Andy Warhol's magazine, Interview, as well as written her own book on fundraising, How to Raise Millions, Having a Ball, Helping Others . Farb is currently working on a second book on fundraising. She has been married to Richard Shulman and Harold Farb, and has one son, Kenyon Jake Shulman.

From the guide to the Carolyn Farb Papers 2000-005., 1956-2002, (Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries)