Stephen Blank is a former National Board President of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. He presently serves as a Board Member for the New Jersey Chapter, the successor to the Bergen County Chapter he and his wife Marsha, who suffers from Crohn's disease, helped organize in the mid-1970s. The couple has two daughters, Cheryl and Lisa, both of whom were diagnosed with Crohn's disease in their pre-teenage years. Stephen is a member of the Founders Society, a group of individuals who include a provision in their will or estate plans to benefit CCFA. He has made the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation the beneficiary of a life insurance policy and feels that planned giving is vital for the organization's future. "These gifts allow us to create capital in the future which means CCFA can accelerate its activities today."

Stephen worked for over 30 years as an investment banker on Wall Street, including time spent as the Managing Director of Real Estate Investment Banking of CIBC World Markets, the successor to Oppenheimer & Co., Inc, retiring in 1998. He now serves as Senior Fellow, Finance for the Urban Land Institute. Cheryl, his oldest daughter, has become a pediatric gastroenterologist and Lisa is now the mother of twins. Stephen and Marsha reside in Watchung, NJ.

All told, Stephen has been involved with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation for nearly 40 years. He has visited over 75% of the Foundation's chapters and worked closely with the Foundation's National Founders, Dr. Henry D. Janowitz, Irwin and Suzanne Rosenthal, and William and Shelby Modell. He does not view his participation as extraordinary. "There is nothing magical about my efforts or my gifts. It is what anybody in my situation would have done knowing the reality of these diseases." Stephen also feels inspired by the work done by those who established the organization and cites how important it is that CCFA "has not lost touch with its roots."

Comparing the Foundation now to where it was in past years, Stephen sees natural growth and significant steps forward. "The budgets for research and education have grown and as a result we are jumping from milestone to milestone much faster." He also commends the organization's leadership and reputation. "CCFA is a national voice. We are right there on the cutting-edge of what is taking place and are leading the way" in the fight for a cure. "The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has always been a good custodian of money. We maintain high standards in how funds are allocated and have always had very low overhead."

Stephen is pleased to have been able to contribute to the Foundation through the years and sees his planned gift as a way to ensure a financially stable future as CCFA's quest for a cure continues. "We need to continue building an endowment and provide for the next generation of researchers." Stephen encourages others to "join me and my family by becoming a leader in providing revenue for the future."