“To whom much is given, much is expected.”
David Hoffmann quotes that line from Luke 12:48 in the Bible as a succinct explanation for his family’s philanthropy and their drive to help others.
For Hoffmann and his wife Jerri, it started with children.
“I grew up as a poor kid, so I know that children can’t control much of what happens, their lot in life,” Hoffmann says. “Then we went into arts — you know, these people are dedicating their lives to an important skill that doesn’t necessarily pay a lot of money.
“Then, healthcare issues. We have a grandson with Type 1 diabetes, and we’ve seen what that’s like, seen the tragedy of the disease unfold, so we do a lot of things philanthropically in that regard.”
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One of those things is the Type 1 Timer Hockey Camp, held for the last three years at the Hoffmanns’ Hertz Arena, home to the Everblades minor league team outside Fort Myers, Florida. The camp was founded by Hoffmann’s son Geoff and his wife Megan, whose son Henry was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7.
Type 1 Timer Hockey is a nonprofit group that empowers hockey players with Type 1 diabetes. It was founded by Geoff Hoffmann and his wife, Megan Hoffmann, in the back row, whose son Henry was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7. From left in the front row are Ben, George, Teddy and Henry Hoffmann.
The camp “is incredibly special to our family and we are so proud of it,” Geoff Hoffmann says.
The four-day program is for kids of all hockey skill levels. It introduces them to athletes who have excelled while dealing with diabetes. The camp strives to make it a comfortable, fun experience, and an opportunity to build lifelong friendships.
“We love doing stuff like that and being fortunate enough to be able to do it,” David Hoffmann says. “There are so many worthwhile causes."
Other philanthropic gifts are location-based. David and Jerri Hoffmann lived in Chicago for about 30 years before moving to Naples, Florida, in 2015. Geoff still lives there. The couple’s other son Greg lives in St. Louis. All three bases of operations for the Hoffmann Family of Companies have benefited from its philanthropies — as, of course, has the Hoffmanns’ home turf of northeastern Missouri.
David Hoffmann said his wife, Jerri, was instrumental in moving the world-famous Joffrey Ballet from New York to Chicago.
David Hoffmann said Jerri Hoffmann was instrumental in moving the world-famous Joffrey Ballet from New York to Chicago, where the company is a gem of the arts community. She remains on its board of directors. A few weeks ago, Crain’s Chicago Business named the Hoffmanns one of the 12 most powerful families in Chicago.
All of it adds up to more than 350 organizations supported nationally, more than $3 million in annual donations and in-kind support, and more than 20,000 hours donated by HFC employees.
"If somebody says anything about me at my funeral,” David Hoffmann says, “I don’t want them to talk about my business success or lack thereof, or how big I grew the company.
“I would just like them to be able to say I was a generous person.”
