Bela Maroti
A Bela Maroti was a pioneer in the field of philanthropy. He fled the Communist takeover of his homeland of Hungary in 1950 and landed in Wisconsin, where he he completed graduate studies in 1954 to become a Catholic priest at the Cistercian Institute in Wisconsin. In 1958, a desire to help veterans who struggled with addiction and homelessness lead him to accept the call from the church to serve this community.
He founded the De Paul Rehabilitation Hospital in Milwaukee and became an expert in clinical treatment of alcoholism and other substance use disorders. De Paul Hospital was one of the first residential treatment centers of its kind in the US. Mr. Maroti led and expanded the hospital as CEO for 32 years.
He also served as a Board member of the American College of Addiction Treatment Administrators and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Problems of North America and The Christine Center.
In 1974, Mr. Maroti had the foresight to create the De Paul Hospital Foundation, which was officially incorporated on February 11, 1976, to provide long term financial stability for the services the De Paul Hospital provided. When Lutheran Social Services of Upper Michigan and Wisconsin (LSS) and De Paul Hospital merged in 1994, the DePaul Foundation was renamed the LSS De Paul Foundation, Inc. and in 2003, the name was changed to LSS Foundation, Inc.
Since 1974, Mr. Maroti has served as President, Board member, and Founder of the LSS Foundation, Inc. and its predecessors. He created the Maroti Family Fund with the LSS Foundation, Inc. which has a positive impact in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan by funding LSS programs quarterly.
Mr. Maroti was an avid philanthropist. His love of opera lead Mr. Maroti to be a Florentine Opera Board member since 1998. He and his wife Julie established the Maroti Family Endowment which brings youth to the opera. A separate endowment established with St. John’s in Milwaukee brings concerts to the residents.
Mr. Maroti also had a background in spirituality. He established an endowment for the Christine Center for Unative Spirituality in Villard, WI. He chaired and served on the Board of the center for 35 years.
A. Bela Maroti passed away on December 13, 2022 in Milwaukee, WI at the age of 92.
