Charity, Charity!!

My mom always had this funny saying while we were growing up. She would hear of these stories of money being given away to charity. So, she would say, " My name is Charity and I am more than happy to accept some financial help." We'd giggle about her play on words. In fact, we were pretty poor and I didn't even realize how poor we were. My mom managed somehow to not make an issue of how little we had. I can't even begin to imagine what she went through.

When my dad died, my mom was left with six girls to bring up by herself with no financial assistance from Social Security because my parents worked on a farm and the owners never paid into SS, so mom found herself looking for a job. She didn't have a driver's license, so she had to get one in order to make a living for all of us. She could have applied for welfare, but that was not her style. She found a job at the then Bendix, now Amphenol. She was always grateful to have received a job there to take care of us.

I found out a lot of interesting tidbits about my childhood years and dad the first year that I was so sick. I would tell her, regale me with stories about us as kids, you, dad and the rest of the family on my dad's side. She would say," what do you want to know?".And off we went on the "adventures" of raising six girls with a very ill husband. I think my mom is a saint of the highest caliber and order.

Well, I found myself thinking about the future-can't live in the past, today is the present-a gift and tomorrow is just waiting for us to discover. So, thinking about my current situation with all its possibilities, I am setting up a charitable trust/foundation, so should I pass away (for whatever reason, I don't like to use the word death, dying because it sounds so final, passing away sounds like I am going to another place-Heaven for me, where I will continue to learn and do worthy work to help others), all my monies from various resources will go to local charitable causes that my mom and I have discussed at length.

I will be earmarking monies to go to libraries for computers for the community at large, especially children-I have a particular fondness for them.-They were my life for 22 years of teaching and I adored them all. Fire departments will be receiving money to continue their good works as I was so fortunate that when I needed them, they have always been here for me with grace, skill and compassion-you can not put a price tag on that!

Monies will be left for local high school scholarships in honor of my father and my mother. My dad was into agriculture, so there will be a scholarship for that. Mom always wanted to be a nurse, but her life's ambitions became derailed when she had all of us. So, we decided to create a scholarship to assist anyone going into the medical field to have the opportunity that my mom didn't have. My mom is so inspiring. Other scholarships will be available for those students interested in teaching. My mom insisted on this on my behalf because she knows how much I've missed teaching my kids the last 2 1/2 years. I would cry the first week of school because I couldn't be there with my little cherubs. I would call my kids cherubs. One day, a student asked me what I was calling them. Imagine their surprise when they learned that they were my little angels.

For my beloved stepfather, Tiff, who was a trustee for the village for many years and diligent in finding grant monies to improve the quality of the village for its residents. Mom and I attended posthumously the ceremony dedicating the West Main Street's new sidewalks. Unfortunately, my generous stepfather was not here with us to celebrate what he had faithfully worked on for a long time to see the ending result-his final project for the village. So, I am leaving money to have an addition made to the local nature walking trail in his name. I think he would highly approve of this. Walkers, bikers, skate boarders, babies in strollers would have daily use of this and this would fit well into the plans my step dad always felt strongly about-helping his community to become the best that it can be for its residents.

A special church will receive monies to help maintain it as this church was always kind to us when we were small at the time my dad passed away. I am paying it forward so that they can continue their worthy causes.

Scholarships will be available at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY where I earned a degree in French and Business. My group of friends and I were the forerunners of a degree that is now called an International Business degree. We were ahead of our time breaking new trails and the poor college folks didn't know what to do with us back then. But now, we are truly global, especially with the Internet. I was lucky enough to spend my junior year abroad in France. I want this same opportunity that I had for others.

Monies are being set aside for research-Wegener's, Pulmonary Hypertension , Diabetes in honor of my father and Cancer in honor of my step dad, Tiff.

Angel Flight will receive money to help those who don't have the funds for transportation for a organ transplant. This money will assure these patients the ability to receive their transplant in a speedy fashion.

While I was staying at Albany Med. Inn, my mom had the good fortune of being able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House because they had a few spare rooms. These rooms are kept available for families with young children. Though I am my mother's daughter, she didn't qualify to stay there because I was so much older. My mom would like to purchase a house in Albany near the Ronald McDonald house that is a hop and a skip from the hospital for adults to use while their family member is in the hospital. This house buying is a major undertaking that would be too much for my mom to handle, so I will be calling Ronald McDonald personnel to see if they would be willing to run it. My charitable foundation would pay for the house and then it would be turned over to them to run much like they do already. I am hopeful that this will work out.

I think I've covered all my charitable causes that I feel are important to me and my mom. Since I have no children of my own, I can't think of a better way to dispense all of this money. Over the years, I have received help from a whole lot of people I know and others I didn't know. So, for me, I shall honor these folks, too in my endeavor to pay it forward.

My financial advisor keeps telling me, we hope that you have many years ahead of you and that this doesn't happen right away. I understand that completely, but for me, I have to know that I am taking care of business as they say whether I am here or "there." It is only then that one can truly rest in peace.

If you receive help in your time of need, pay it forward when you are able to. You will never know the exact effect on the person that you are generously helping, but you know your heart and soul will feel better knowing you have helped someone in need.