Friend of the Foundation

Meet Carl Lender, Hotwire EVP, Humanitarian, and Friend of BWCF

Carl Lender grew up in Orange and Woodbridge, Connecticut, in the suburbs of New Haven. He first came to Florida in 1965. Carl flew by myself on Eastern Airlines to visit his grandmother in the Dilido Hotel on Miami Beach. He has loved Florida since that very first trip.

The Lender Family owned and operated Lenders Bagel Bakery. Growing up and after college, Carl worked in the family business. After Lender’s was sold, he moved to Miami and later opened Poppyseeds Bagel Bakery and Restaurant next to the Rascal House in Sunny Isles Beach. Since then, Carl has been in cable tv for 20 years, joining Hotwire Communications as their second Florida employee 13 years ago.

Today, he is the Executive Vice President of Fision Home – Customer Experience and the link between Hotwire and Boca West Children’s Foundation.

Do you have any kids/grandkids/pets? I’m married to Rachel Lender who works at Hotwire. I have two children, son Adam who also works at Hotwire, and daughter Olivia who is in her last year at American Heritage. We have a cat named Juliet or Juju. My new neighbor has golden retriever named Sofie that peeks through our fence. We adore her and feed her Paul Newman’s premium dog treats. I’ve have many dogs over my lifetime and if you can’t have the entire dog, let just say, in this case we feel we have the better half.

What other charitable organizations are you involved with? Both personally and professionally, I support or am involved with Boca West Children’s Foundation, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, Boys & Girls Clubs (Broward and Palm Beach County divisions), KidSafe Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association and MS. Hotwire is by far the most charitable company I have ever been with.

About the Foundation

How long have you been involved with Boca West Children’s Foundation? I have been involved with the Boca West Children’s Foundation for over two years through Hotwire.

What initially drew you to Boca West Children’s Foundation? It was natural for Hotwire to support Boca West Children’s Foundation and it’s not really possible to say no to Arthur Adler (BWCF Chairman)! Boca West Country Club is Hotwire’s largest account in Palm Beach County and Hotwire makes a conscious effort to partner with customers in pursuit of philanthropy.

What has been your favorite Boca West Children’s Foundation event or memory? My favorite event was the Old Navy holiday shopping trip Boca West Children’s Foundation held for the children at the Boys & Girls Clubs. It was such a memorable experience to spend time with the children and to help them make their Holiday Shopping decisions.  Also, witnessing the joy the children had attending the post shopping brunch in the Boca West Country Club clubhouse is something I will never forget and look forward to supporting again this year. As a result of my experience at these BWCF events, I have since become a Board member of the Broward County Boys & Girls Clubs.

What makes Boca West Children’s Foundation special to you? When you give, you don’t always get to see the results of your gift, but at Boca West Children’s Foundation you have a “hands on” chance to help a child and see their reaction in person.  I love working at Hotwire because they give me and others a chance to be philanthropic in the community in the name of the company.

What do you enjoy most about working with the various organizations? Knowing that that you’re part of a greater effort to do good things.

If you could tell someone just one thing about Boca West Children’s Foundation, what would that be? Once you see the children’s faces you will be hooked.