David and Cynthia Silverstein

Mapping out a legacy of giving

“When David brought me home to meet his family for the first time, his father was eating an orange, and he just offered me a piece. I think that is a very simple way to talk about what a lovely man he was,” Cynthia said.

For Cynthia and David Silverstein, generosity is part of who they are. David grew up in a city garden apartment in Queens, New York, and Cynthia as part of a large Italian family living in a small house in Olean. Both credit their parents with instilling in them a desire to give back.

David and Cynthia’s paths first crossed as they were both pursuing their medical careers at Buffalo’s former Deaconess Hospital. At the time, David was not planning to stay in Western New York, but he fell in love with the area as well as with Cynthia, and they married in 1982.

“We had a shared experience in providing healthcare in Buffalo’s East Side – people with tremendous needs, medically underserved in a lot of ways. That was a formative element for our relationship,” said David.

The Silversteins started a family and advanced in their respective careers, with Cynthia working in health planning for 25 years and David opening his own medical practice in Kenmore. Today, they still reside in their adopted and beloved hometown of Buffalo.

When it came time for planning their family’s legacy, the Silversteins turned to the Community Foundation and established the Lawrence and Audrey Silverstein Foundation, named after David’s parents. Through their fund, Cynthia and David will make sure the causes they deeply care about – including social justice, asylum seekers, and economic and educational opportunities – will be supported today, tomorrow and forever, and they hope to carry on their family’s legacy of giving by involving their children and grandchildren.

The Silversteins appreciate the partnership with the Community Foundation in carrying out their charitable wishes. “The Community Foundation team is eager to help us do what we want to do,” David said. “And we feel so welcomed by everybody we have worked with. Every conversation has helped us move forward in our charitable giving.”

This story is featured in our 2023 Annual Report.