Hope House has been blessed to partner with the The Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, who has generously provided funding to renovate our conference room and construct a much-needed parking lot at our Covington headquarters. The Trust was established by Mr. Tolmas, prior to his death, to fund as many local organizations, as its trustees deem appropriate, and to continue Mr. Tolmas’ legacy of helping others. We sat down with Vincent J. Giardina, CPA and Trustee of the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, to discuss what supporting Hope House means to him.
Q: Who was Oscar J. Tolmas, and how does supporting Hope House align with his passion and legacy?
A: “Mr. Tolmas was an attorney, a World War II veteran, and a real estate developer. He graduated from Tulane University in 1941 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He also attended Tulane University School of Law where he obtained his law degree in 1943. After graduating from law school, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He participated in World War II in the Pacific Ocean. He was honorably discharged in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He started various companies to pursue development of real estate in the New Orleans area. Mr. Tolmas passed away on December 2, 2013. In his last will and testament, he formed
the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust. He left 100% of his assets to the trust to be used to support other tax-exempt organizations with their missions of helping others. Hope House aligns with his passion and legacy by helping children in need of assistance.”
Q: What motivated or compelled you personally to get involved with Hope House?
A: “Lisa N. Romano and I are the trustees of the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust. We do not accept solicitations for donations. We select organizations using a simple process. We evaluate the organization’s mission, the individuals involved and the organization’s financial stability. We evaluated and selected Hope House and determined that this was an organization that we wanted to support. They passed all of our criteria. Their mission is dedicated to ending the cycle of child abuse in our community and provide a path to recovery and a bridge to justice for victims of abuse. The individuals involved are dedicated to the organization’s mission and the organization is financially stable.”
Q: What is the most striking or impactful thing you’ve noticed about Hope House since starting your relationship with this organization?
A: “The dedication of the employees toward fulfilling the organization’s mission.”
Q: How does it feel to know that you’ve helped empower local children, through your giving, with healing and recovery following trauma?
A: “It feels great! We have accomplished what Mr. Tolmas wanted us to do. We have helped these children through our funding of projects that were needed by Hope House to help fulfill their mission.”
To learn more about The Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, visit their website.
