Mr. Franco Simplicio, you are a renown charitable leader in the Malibu community. As Board Member of The Pilot Light Foundation, what inspire you the most about this worthy cause?
What inspires me the most about Pilot Light is that it's extremely efficient in that no money is wasted in administrative costs. Every dollar that we raise is applied to a relevant project in Africa and with relatively not a lot of money we manage to accomplish some big positive changes for people's lives.
2. Mr. Simplicio, you donated the beautiful venue of The Sunset Restaurant so PLF can fully benefit with the best fundraising to support most important projects in Africa. Is there a particular project that you are most passionate about?
I am a big believer that it's important to teach people how to fish instead of sending fish to them. We accomplish that by creating cooperatives that create work for people that want to work and take care of their families. We give them a long term solution to feeding themselves and we also allow them to be proud of taking care of their families. Most charities send goods to areas of need and cause a dependency on charities for life.
3. Mr. Simplicio, what would you say is the key to your success as a fundraiser and Board Member of Pilot Light Foundation?
As I tell my kids, the key to success in life or in any endeavor we undertake as human beings is passion. I am passionate about these projects because of Carol Levy's vision of creating a charity organization that targets places where people have no resources and her generosity in underwriting all administrative and travel costs. Because of her benevolence and her vision, we can apply every single dollar raised by Pilot Light to help people that otherwise would have no way of feeding themselves. I am honored that I can help and it's gratifying to be part of such a beautiful organization.
BIO
Born in Bari, Italy and raised in the restaurant business. Moved to California as a teenager. Educated at UCLA undergraduate and went on to get a doctorate degree from USC. My destiny was the restaurant business and I have opened many successful restaurants in the LA area, including Padri, Allegria, Tanino, Ca Del Sole, Il Pastaio, Frascati, Moonshadows and the latest The Sunset. My passion is Seafood with a Mediterranean influence. I love making people feel welcome in my restaurants and will always have a great bar environment where people can be casual and gather with their friends or make new friends while they enjoy exceptional food and service. For more information, visit: http://www.thesunsetrestaurant.com/
ABOUT THE PILOT LIGHT FOUNDATION
Promoting Independence through Interdependence-Community Unity through Individual Opportunity-Security in Self-Sufficiency. Pilot Light supports sustainable, income generating projects in Africa. We strive to create a solid foundation for future generations to build upon. When individuals can support themselves, they can establish a sustainable and thriving community for generations to come, lasting self-sufficiency, secure interdependent communities, and self-determination are all that we hope for our future. We build resiliency by working on the relationship between the individual and the community. The idea of the pilot light is that it will light a small spark that can grow into a larger fire that burns on its own, after we are gone. Pilot Light is proud that 100% of donations will be used directly for funding these projects and is a 501(C) (3). For more information, visit: http://pilotlightfund.org/
Pilot Light Foundation
10960 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-614-1873
RECENT CHARITY EVENT:
On Thursday, September 29th, 2016, Wayne Brady hosted The PLF Charity Event inside The Sunset Restaurant owned by Franco Simplicio. This event was a huge success! It was sponsored by Chris Cortazzo and Franco Simplicio.
