Michael Dube, left, gifting a jersey to a recipient of the “Moments to Memories Fund.” Photo: Provided

New Jersey-based philanthropist and entrepreneur Mike Dube has made it his mission to help create meaningful experiences for children and families facing hardships in their everyday lives.

Dube and his wife, Rachel, are the co-founders of the Moments to Memories Fund (MTMF), which a 100-percent volunteer-led, registered nonprofit organization that facilitates memorable experiences for children and families of all backgrounds who are facing serious illness, trauma, loss, or other difficult circumstances.

The charity, which describes itself as “creating unforgettable experiences for kids and families who need them most,” gifts items as well as tickets to theater performances, concerts, sports games, amusement parks, and other activities. The recipients are all individuals and families who need a distraction from their stress, grief, or pain, and a chance to experience joy and laughter.

Dube, who is also a life coach, spent roughly 15 years helping ill and underprivileged children and families get event tickets and make lasting memories through Sharing Seats, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that facilitated thousands of experiences to Jewish and non-Jewish individuals. Dube and his wife wanted to expand the mission of Sharing Seats and thus started MTMF last year. The couple have over 15 years of experience each in youth development and Jewish community engagement.

In its first year, MTMF organized 170 exciting experiences for 65 families.

“The world has never needed it more,” Dube told The Algemeiner. “I’m very fortunate that I get to be a giver in a broken world … The sky’s the limit in what we can do, and every day I wake up thinking, ‘Alright, who can we help today?'”

“I’m passionate about MTMF and I’ve created a conduit for other people to do good in this world,” he added. “We underpromise and overdeliver.”

MTMF works in partnership with donors, sponsors, venues, and other organizations, including Chai Lifeline, Friendship Circle, Kochavim, and Yachad. In addition, the charity utilizes social media by frequently asking on Instagram if anyone can help fulfill or add to a recipient’s experiences. MTMF is mostly funded by individual donors, and anyone is able to donate tickets or experiences, which the charity will then match with qualified and vetted children and families. The public can also nominate a recipient.

On Sunday, Matthew Rahmani and his son attended the NFL game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and were able to get a pregame VIP experience on the field all thanks to MTMF. Rahmani’s wife — 40-year-old, mother-of-four Allison Rahmani — died on Aug. 21 after she lost control of her car and crashed her vehicle into her family’s swimming pool in Nassau County, Long Island.

Last week, MTMF gifted a young girl who lost her father with tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert, and a family from Teaneck, New Jersey, who have multiple children in wheelchairs were given tickets to see the New York Knicks return to Madison Square Garden for their home opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.

In September, a family who had spent the last three years living in Israel through the country’s war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip were treated by the charity to a fun-filled day in New York City complete with tickets to the Broadway show “Wicked.” That same month, the security and maintenance team at Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, New Jersey, was given a break from their responsibilities protecting the local Jewish community to enjoy a night out bowling, sponsored by MTMF.

Anat Aharonoff – a mother-of-six in Queens, New York, whose husband died four years ago – told The Algemeiner that Dube’s charity has gifted her children free tickets to sporting games and they even got a chance to meet some players from the Knicks. Aharonoff said the Moments to Memories Fund helps children and families struggling with a hardship by allowing them to “refocus on something enjoyable.”

“He’ll do whatever it takes to make families feel a little relief or a little bit of pleasure when they’re going through hard times,” she added about Dube. “[MTMF] feels like a refreshing way to disconnect from whatever’s going on in your life, however bad it is, [and] to just have a little bit of a break. To almost step out of reality and have a bonding experience with your family members or close friends and just reconnect. Just smile and laugh and relax a little bit.”

The Moments to Memories Fund is dedicated to the memory of Perry Langert, who married Dube’s mother when the entrepreneur was 10 years old and became a father figure and mentor for him. Langert died five years ago.

“He taught me so many of life’s most important lessons, especially the true meaning of giving and helping others,” Dube told The Algemeiner. “Renaming my charity in his honor gives me even greater motivation to continue his legacy by reaching and helping as many people as possible.”

“I miss Perry every day, and I think about him every day,” Dube added. “His influence on my life will never fade, and I hope to honor his memory by living by the values he taught me and continuing to make a difference in the lives of others.”