CARLIN

FOCUS: HEALTHCARE AND THE ARTS

When it comes to charitable involvement, the thing that strikes Adam Carlin the most is how fortunate he is personally, and how others are afflicted with bad luck beyond their control. “When I was growing up, I never thought in a million years that I would have this blessed life,” says Carlin, a highly successful private wealth manager at Morgan Stanley’s Coral Gables headquarters. “Part of what happens in life is the luck of the draw. Some people have had a lot of unfortunate things that have happened to them through no fault of their own.”

That is a big reason – along with the fact that he has young children – that Carlin is so involved with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. “They are not just focused on treating those illnesses that are the most common,” he says. “They are also on the cutting edge of looking for the best of research and treatments [for rare diseases] that can be devasting to a few beautiful young children.” Besides raising funds for the hospital, he personally underwrites an annual prom party for young patients there.

Having seen his mother suffer from cancer that crippled her, Carlin also raises funds for UM’s Sylvester Cancer Center, where he serves as Chairman of the Board. “Besides Nicklaus, the organizations I am most passionate about are Sylvester, UM [he is on the board] and the New World Symphony,” says Carlin. “They all play an incredible role for the community.”

THE GIVERS: CHUCK AND SUE COBB

FOCUS: UNITED WAY, GOODWILL, EDUCATION, THE CARIBBEAN

It would be hard to find a more accomplished couple living in Coral Gables. Charles “Chuck” E. Cobb, Jr. was the chairman and CEO of Arvida Corporation and the Disney Development Company; he later merged Arvida with the Walt Disney Company. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland, and as assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Sue Cobb served as the U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica, and as Secretary of State of Florida. An accomplished lawyer, she also ran the U.S. Department of State’s seminars for newly designated ambassadors and authored the book “The Edge of Everest” on her attempts to become the first American woman to summit Mount Everest.

These accomplishments hardly touch on the career positions and the boards the couple serve on, as they continue to run Gables-based Cobb Partners, a private investment, venture capital, real estate and resort development company. Nonetheless, the couple now devotes about 60 percent of their time administering the vast charitable foundation they started decades ago.

“[Chuck] came up with the idea that when we had sufficient funds to start some kind of meaningful giving, to have a foundation set up,” she says. Says Chuck, “We were able to contribute 20 percent of our income for every year from her law practice and my career. Now we can have a meaningful impact.”

Sue has been an avid supporter of the United Way and Goodwill Industries “for the variety of ways they help the community,” and is also active in charities for Jamaica and Haiti. Chuck has been a big booster for education, having served as a trustee of UM and former chair of the board. Among many other projects, he started a charter school with Barry University and is involved with the Annenberg Foundation. “Education locally has been really important to me,” he says. Both also support donating to churches in the Caribbean, especially where natural disasters occur.

At 3 weeks old, Lavondre was diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect, which means he had a hole in the wall that separates the right and left lower chambers of the heart. Thanks to the support of people like you, Lavondre and his parents were flown to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital where emergency surgery saved his life. In January, Lavondre celebrates his first birthday.