CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Leon Levine, the founder of Family Dollar and a key supporter of medical efforts in the Carolinas, died on Wednesday, according to a source. He was 85.
Levine founded Family Dollar Stores in 1959 with the first store opening on Charlotte's Central Avenue. And although Family Dollar has grown to over 8,000 stores across the country, Levine is most remembered as a philanthropist who donated millions toward advancing Charlotte's medical resources.
According to Atrium Health, Levine is the largest individual donor to the Atrium Health Foundation.
His donations to Atrium began in 1987 with a pledge to support the Children's Medical Network. Levine continued to be a big supporter of pediatric health in the area and donated $10 million to establish the Levine Children's Hospital in 2003.
“There is no greater investment that you can make than in the life of a child,” Levine said at the time.
In 2010, Levine doubled that effort by donating $20 million to establish the Levine Cancer Institute. He later helped establish the Mindy Ellen Levine Behavioral Health Center in Davidson in 2014.
In 2016, Levine's foundation, the Leon Levine Foundation, donated $25 million to the Carolinas HealthCare System, which was given to expand the Levine Cancer Institute.
"This is something that was needed and the people that have talked to us are so grateful," Levine said in 2016. "This is something they can do in Charlotte and receive the very best care in the country. We have world-class people here. It's a great feeling. It's just fortunate that I'm able to do it. If it hadn't been for my career at Family Dollar, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I really enjoy both my careers."
Levine's name can be found across the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. He was a self-made man who shared much of his wealth with the city he called home through the Leon Levine Foundation, which was founded in 1980. In 2015, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont announced the naming of their 160,000-square-foot campus in honor of Leon Levine. The new building was named "The Leon Levine Opportunity Center." The Leon Levine Foundation donated $1.2 million to Goodwill for the project.
"I think it's an opportunity for a lot more people to find good jobs. It will really make a difference in this county, and this country," Leon Levine said during the commemoration ceremony in 2015. "I met them in their old facility and also toured their stores. It's a need particularly when we were in a recession for 4, or 5 years, they served so many people that needed clothes. What they're doing to bring jobs to people is outstanding."
Levine is the founder of Matthews-based Family Dollar Stores, Inc. He and his wife Sandra, whom he married in 1978, were involved in a number of civic and charitable causes in the Charlotte region through the Leon Levine Foundation.
"Leon Levine and his wife, Sandra, have been stalwart supporters of UNC Charlotte," UNC Charlotte said in a statement. "Through their generosity, hundreds of Levine Scholars have had the opportunity to pursue excellence in the classroom, while giving back to the community around them. UNC Charlotte sends its deepest condolences to Sandra Levine and the entire Levine family as we mourn the passing of a man who helped transform education at our University and has improved the lives of countless Charlotteans."
Levine was born in Wadesboro and grew up in Rockingham.
To learn more about The Leon Levine Foundation visit www.leonlevinefoundation.org.
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