You don't have to be uber rich to give money away. I've felt the tug to give really from the beginning of earning money, even when flush with debt and uncertain prospects.
My guess is over the lastr 20 years I've given $150,000 or more to various people and organizations. There have been successes and failures and they encompass little things like $100 here and there to fire departments and similar, paying for and building dugouts for a little league, non-profits like Sunshine Library in Eldred, anything Tannis Kowalchuk is part of. We more or less paid for the rehab of a Veterans' Home in Liberty NY for a local church (B.A.T.S.), which turned out to be almost a fraud in my books, or at least so little actual assistance to veterans it felt like fraud. There's been local people with health issue, communities with holiday festivities, etc... and so on. We also advertise in local newspapers where the benefit is nearly undetectable to us, other than to support local journalism, a passion of mine. Catskills Center, Ashokan Center, Homeless Federation in Monticello. Giving has always been part of what I do.
3 Years ago, in order to get better advice and be part of a community of giving, I set up a donor-assisted fund with the Greater Pike Community Fund. What they do, through the help of the tax code, is offer an umbrella 501c3, so small fry funds like the Petersheim Fund and others don't all need to have tax code compliance expertise, grant committees, accountants, check writers, etc... It's a great way to reduce the administrative burden, to share it, in a way.
For me, I'm as drawn to the organization as well as the person who runs it.
We've just announced this years grants and they are as follows, sharing $10k of gifts -
GAIT, a place in Milford PA that uses horses for a wide range of therapeutic needs. This is lead by Martha Dubensky.
Ecumenical Food Pantry, which provides a food pantry to NE PA for decades.
A Single Bite, run by the Foster Hospitality Group, and provides balanced meals and education across Sullivan County. This is run by Sims Foster and his wife, Kristen.
Farm Arts Collective, an organization run by Tannis Kowalchuk, which combines theater, farming and creative thinking.
Kyle Pascoe Memorial Fund, which was founded in 2018 after the auto-accident death of a 17 year old, backup quarterback sophomore at Delaware Valley High School
We wish a happy new year to all.
No comments:
Post a Comment