On March 5, at a New York City gala, Raymour & Flanigan announced a pledge of $500,000 to the Say Yes to Education Endowment Fund. The gift will be matched by SRC, Inc., which committed $5 million to the program in 2011. The Raymour & Flanigan pledge is the largest received since the match was announced.

Say Yes to Education, Inc. is a national, nonprofit education foundation committed to increasing high-school and college graduation rates for the nation’s urban youth. The program provides comprehensive support, including the promise of free college tuition. Locally, the Say Yes to Education scholarships provide last-dollar funding for any student graduating from the Syracuse City School District. Students can attend any SUNY or CUNY institution or choose from more than 25 private colleges and universities.

The owners of Raymour & Flanigan — Neil, Steve, and Mike Goldberg — are smart businesspeople who grew a $6 million operation into a $1 billion enterprise, making the company the largest retail, furniture dealer in the Northeast and the seventh largest in the country. I asked Neil why the family chose to support Say Yes with such a substantial gift.

“The Goldbergs grew up in Syracuse. My father and uncle went to Central Tech, and my brother and I graduated from Nottingham High School. The Goldberg family has done business for over 60 years in this community … It’s our hometown; we wanted to give back … The city [of Syracuse] has challenges and [the kids] need role models. They need opportunities … Say Yes is a new way to help the inner cities become vibrant.”

In addition to the financial commitment, Raymour and Flanigan “… has set up paid, summer internships for five or six city residents. At our campus in Liverpool, the students can work in marketing, finance, merchandising, distribution, the call center, and the service group … I’m excited that this will lead to careers at Raymour & Flanigan,” says Neil Goldberg.

I asked Neil why the company made the pledge now. “We’ve been monitoring Say Yes for months … I met with the founder, George Weiss … We’re encouraged by the broad collaboration among the city, county, Syracuse University, the school board, the head of the teachers’ union, and private business … We’ve gained confidence in the program watching the first students graduate from college. I’m confident of the program’s results.”

Neil Goldberg has also stepped up to the plate to co-chair the fundraising effort to reach the $20 million goal set by the foundation. He serves with Allen Naples, the regional president of M&T Bank. Goldberg has also joined the national board of Say Yes.

“We need to provide opportunities for our urban youth,” says Goldberg. “Our failure to help is not only a loss to the individual but also to the community.”

The Goldbergs hope that other area businesses will join them and support Say Yes, not just for philanthropic reasons but because it makes good business sense.

Norman Poltenson is publisher of The Central New York Business Journal. Contact him at npoltenson@cnybj.com