After Edie Lutnick’s brother Gary was murdered in the World Trade Center on September 11^th along with 658 of his friends and colleagues at Cantor Fitzgerald, her one surviving brother Howard, the CEO and Chairman, asked her to start a charity to take care of the families who lost loved ones. In a matter of days, thousands of broken hearted people became family and through Lutnick’s leadership, the company started hundreds of philanthropic organizations to take care of not only the 9/11 community, but others in crisis. In this speech, Lutnick discusses how her charitable initiatives at Cantor Fitzgerald have forever changed the way we look at social responsibility. She shares with audiences how employees can develop a sense of social responsibility by starting with the managers and their leadership strategies. Then, she explains how the leadership must be aligned with corporate responsibility in order to create a community filled with dignity and hope for future growth.

In this speech, Edie Lutnick teaches audiences about the future of non-profits through her personal story of building one from the ground up in the wake of a tragedy. On September 11th, 658 men and women at Cantor Fitzgerald lost their lives in One World Trade Center. In the aftermath of the attacks, Lutnick answered the call to create a fund for the firm's families who had lost loved ones. Under her leadership, The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund transformed into an organization that healed not only those within the company, but everyone affected by the attacks. It has since raised and distributed over 180 million dollars to over 800 families. Lutnick offers audiences an inside perspective into what the “new” non-profit looks like, using the 4 prong program she created as support. In addition, she explains what changes need to be made for non-profits to remain successful now and in the future.

The Hebrew phrase “Tikun Olam” means “repairing the world.” This is a central concept to the Jewish people. In the face of historical atrocities and everyday hardships, the Jewish religion and culture believes in a very universal idea, that one should do everything in his/her power to make the world a better place: from protesting social  injustices to recycling. Identifying herself as a Jew, Edie understands and tries to live by the concept of “Tikun Olam.” Through her personal and philanthropic work, her riveting presentations demonstrates her conviction that only through remembering the difficult times can we persevere and triumph in our present moments and future days.

When you are confronted with tragedy, and let’s face it, you will be, if you find a mission larger than yourself, it will not only help you heal, but you will accomplish spectacular things. In this speech, Edie Lutnick shares how her book, An Unbroken Bond, is everyone’s story. It sends a powerful, sometimes infuriating and ultimately heart rendering message of our own personal missions to fulfill an important legacy. An Unbroken Bond is the story of the lives of the victims of 9/11 families and so much more than that. It’s how everyone behaved as individuals, colleagues, friends, communities, companies, philanthropic organizations, religions, societies and governments. She shares how even during the most unfathomable obstacles, we all keep fighting for what is important. Our unbroken bond is to those we loved, what we can learn from their loss and how we create and honor their legacy as we move forward with our shared humanity intact.

Edie Lutnick’s caregiving experiences range from raising her two brothers at a young age after the passing of her parents to caring for thousands of employees at Cantor Fitzgerald after the 9/11 attacks. In this presentation, she shares not only what it is like to be the caregiver, but the one cared for as well. Through personal stories during some of her most heartbreaking moments, she helps audiences feel motivated and inspired to move forward after tragedy. With an unwavering resilience, Lutnick was able to help Cantor Fitzgerald and most importantly, herself, rise from the ashes even when everything was seemingly lost. Discussing common caregiving issues and providing strategies to persevere as a caregiver, Lutnick believes that crisis can bring out unimaginable strength in both parties involved.