"Pray for the victims of hunger, fear, injustice & oppression."
- -The Book of Common Prayer: Holy Eucharist, Rite II
As a social studies instructor, I teach
about leaders. Yet, in the back of my
mind, I want to lead, big time. As an
English professor, I expose pupils to great authors and teach them the writing
process. Similarly, I yearn to publish
and to sit at Charlie Rose’s table discussing my book. As a follower of current events and an active
community member, I observe the actions and gifts of major philanthropists; I
dream of having my own foundation. My 46-year career as an educator has included 30 years in public schools in metro
Atlanta, full-time positions in international schools in Jamaica and Turkey,
seven part-time years instructing adult English as a Second Language for
Georgia Piedmont Technical College, plus time teaching for an intensive English
program housed at Oglethorpe University.
These experiences were immensely rewarding, yet the paychecks hardly permitted
major philanthropy. Yet, living by the
proverb, “Without a vision, people perish,” I maintain my dream.
I will never legislate on Capitol Hill,
nor appear in the New York Times Bestseller List, yet the Community
Foundation is affording me the chance to engage in philanthropy. One dream is
bearing fruit. My fund is sustained by
my belief in the power of faith and compounded interest. As a middle-class person, dedicated to a human
service profession, I now have the capacity to give from a modest income and
more importantly, leave a legacy for future generations. My gifts are small, yet my vision for their
impact on the lives of others is enormous.
Those dreams guide the issues I am
passionate about. They are included in
my tiny donor-advised fund, a planned gift.
Building
Strong Communities
One
remembers very little of life as a three-year-old, yet the events of one stormy
night are indelibly vivid in my memory.
After a violent tornado destroyed my home, my journey involved walking
through total darkness to exit the remains of my residence. Suffering produces perseverance. Very early in my life, I learned of the immense
power of nature and of the drastic changes that can occur in one second. On a positive note, I learned of the folly of
storing up treasures in possessions. Most
importantly, I experienced the relief generated
when people give mercy and support. As
one who was temporarily homeless, I realize that stronger communities are
developed when comfortable housing is available. Following Hurricane Katrina,
my journey included five trips to the Gulf Coast to restore housing damaged by
that storm. The memory of the darkness of a tornado, and the light shed by
mercy, motivated me to assist. Currently, I support Habitat for Humanity –
North Central Georgia, a variation on this theme in our community.
Curing
Disease
All philanthropists concerned with
curing disease have a dedication that arises out of the loss of valued lives
that ended too early. Dad had a lung
tumor removed, yet his final days were a mix of productivity while enduring
poor health. Mom, as a breast cancer
survivor, continues to live a life of charm and helpfulness to others. Memories of losing vibrant, interesting,
faithful young friends –cancer victims- challenge me to strive to make the
most of my moments, even the most ordinary ones. When the American Cancer
Society began Relay for Life in Gwinnett County, participating was a no-brainer. I was a participant during my
years as a Gwinnett teacher and even served as a captain for teams which
included my students. Good health is promoted by my DAF with
a vision to create changes that will enable people to lead
healthier and more productive lives. Medical research is supported to
create a broad and enduring impact to combat diseases and address health care.
Combating
Hunger
In my youth, compassion for the hungry
was neither on my radar screen, nor that of any of my associates. I am thankful to have encountered peers along
my journey whose examples and words pointed me in this direction. During college, my Inter-Varsity Christian
Fellowship staff worker was the first person I knew who was passionate about
this issue. Another college friend kept
a newspaper clipping taped to his meal ticket.
Anyone at his table who did not clean their plate was confronted with
the paragraph on world hunger. Another friend worked for World Vision after
graduation. I learned more about the
importance of giving support to areas of the planet where hunger was a
concern. Thus, in my twenties, I began
being a supporter of this humanitarian organization, which continues to this
day.
As learning from peers, who were
thinking compassionately and deeply, was instructive, so were observations made
of different cultures. International
travel, especially while teaching in both Jamaica and Turkey, made me keenly
aware that not all of the world’s people live lives of variety and
richness. So did teaching in metro
Atlanta schools where high percentages of students were on free or reduced
lunch. Therefore I choose to combat
local poverty and hunger by supporting the Atlanta Community Food Bank; and
international starvation by contributing to World Vision & Overflowing Hands.
Maximizing Learning
I am passionate about the chance of
standing in the midst of a student’s darkness and shining the lamp of
knowledge. I believe in presenting
richness, as opposed to mediocrity; it is an excellent way to help pupils find
and enjoy truth and excellence in life. While at Georgia State, I prepared to do
that. Six of my courses were paid for by
grants, an immense help to a twenty-something graduate student. I have a debt to repay, thus I have
established two endowed scholarships at GSU. Annually, one student, from each
of the high schools where I taught, will be helped financially. Years in the future there will be a
connection between my university and the schools I labored in since learning
and understanding are more profitable than gold and silver.
Through the
experiences and examples of family and friends, education in both the school of
life and academic institutions, plus my travels, I have learned to love the occasions
when good health is promoted, communities are strengthened, learning is
maximized and hunger is alleviated. Thus I choose to give a portion of
my earnings, small though they may be, in order to address these issues both
today and in years to come. My DAF was
established in order to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend orphans, and feed those afflicted by famine. My
charities receive support – both locally and globally.
Why have I chosen philanthropy? The lens through which I view life saw a
community blown away, yet rebuilt by practical acts of mercy. Seeing suffering
and affliction caused by cancer made me desire to support endeavors to allow
people to lead healthier lives. College friends saw hunger through their
lenses. As they exercised faith they
strove to practically feed those affected by famine. The company I kept in
those years influenced me to enlarge both my vision and service to combat
hunger. The entirety of my adult life has been devoted to education for
teachers have a posterity which will continue forever; it will not be blotted
out. Endowed scholarships will ensure
that.
I am immensely thankful to the fine
people of the Community Foundation for listening to me and allowing my dream of
philanthropy to become a reality. Goals,
once seemingly unattainable, are now easily in view. As in college, and my career in education, I
continue to be challenged by the company I keep. Positive interactions provided by the
Foundation, both with employees and donors, allow me to see both need and
solutions through different lenses. Good
people enable me to discover the joy of philanthropy as my journey continues on
a new path.
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