November 4, 2010; Source: gather.com |An elderly couple, Violet and Allen Large of Nova Scotia decided, after winning the lottery that the money would be way too stressful if they kept around. Strangers were calling them asking for donations and it was giving them headaches. So they decided they would give it all-but 2 percent away. They gave some to their family and the rest to churches, cemeteries, the local hospital where Violet underwent cancer treatment, the Red Cross and a host of other organizations. Do they regret it? Not at all. “It made us feel good,” said Violet. The couple, married for 35 years, has their own savings, carefully put away over the years and as Allen says, “We have each other.” The stuff dreams are made of.—Ruth McCambridge
About The Author
Ruth is Editor in Chief of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.
