Please share in this wonderful story of generosity from last December (2017).
A very generous donor called the Alliance on December 8th to say she wanted to anonymously donate a mutual fund worth approximately $35,000 to our Give the Gift of Literacy Campaign. We’ll call her ‘Bonnie.’
Bonnie explained that she was making this large donation in memory of her mother who died recently. Bonnie’s mother was a home-maker who worked part-time with children who struggled with reading and writing for many years in the 1960s. This was at a time when one-room schools were the norm. Bonnie’s mother worked on a Remedial Reading Program where she ran an after-school program from her home.
Literacy was one of her mother’s many passions and she instilled the love of reading in her own children as well as those she worked with through the Remedial Reading Program. A few years ago, one of her mother’s former students, then a child, and now a grown man, ran into her mother at a social event. He walked across the room to thank his former tutor, Bonnie’s mother. He told her about the impact she had on him those many years ago. He thanked her sincerely saying because of her, he has been successful in his life. He had wanted to thank her for a long time and was thrilled to finally have the chance.
Bonnie’s mother helped this man reach his full potential. She helped him improve his skills and boost his confidence when he was just a child. This extra help set him on the right path and led him to success. This large donation will further Bonnie mother’s impact on people like this man. The money will be used to support more than 30 tutors working one-on-one with children and adults throughout the year. These programs are free and for the most vulnerable – the ones who struggle the most.
“My hope is that our story encourages others to donate. The need is huge,” says Bonnie.
