ISSUE 2 / 2016
ON FAITH & PHILANTHROPY RABBI GAYLIA R. ROOKS DR. MUHAMMAD BABAR DR. KEVIN W. COSBY
LOUISVILLE’S PHILANTHROPY MAGAZINE
Give Local Louisville Who Inspires Us The Paradox of Generosity
Perspectives: Susan’s Musings
EDITOR Cara Baribeau
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. John R. Davis Jerry Greenwell Jacob Kupferman
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS O’Neil Arnold Anthony Tran
The “Big We” What if every day was “we” day? At home, at work and in our civic and community arenas. In this edition of ForGood I found myself reflecting on the value of “we” in our lives, inspired by the wondrous work of Wendy and Kris Sirchio. You can read about their efforts to bring the WE Day initiative to Louisville in our “Who Inspires Us” feature on page 14. Just like Wendy and Kris, I believe we are all connected and that together we change the world. Soon after I first went to work at a community foundation in 1999, I read Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam, which outlined to the alarming crisis of broken bonds within and across our communities. People were no longer bowling, joining PTAs or civic clubs. We had lost our “we,” and as a result, the social constructs of our lives were falling apart. It was depressing. I was relieved a few years later when Better Together was published. This book, also by Putman, along with my friend Lew Feldstein, who was CEO of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, provided a more promising vision of a new way for people to connect by creating social networks. Our cover story, about the relationship between religion and philanthropy, touches
on the importance of faith-based social networks and generous giving. In this issue, we also highlight a few of the nonprofits impacted by Give Local Louisville, a great expression of the power of “we” and how they are using these new funds to make their own unique connections. I like to think of our community foundation as its own social network. Along with many community foundations, we got our start more than 100 years ago, when Fred Goff, a lawyer and banker in Cleveland, Ohio, developed the first foundation of our kind, built not upon the wealth and charitable nature of one person or one family, but on the broad shoulders of many. That “Big We” is now a $2 billion foundation, pooling resources for the common good of Cleveland. Our foundation is built upon that same notion, that anyone can be a philanthropist, that we are all part of something bigger — the “Big We.” Thanks to all the generous philanthropists in our community — past, present and future — every day truly is a “we” day in Louisville.
SUSAN A. BARRY, JD
President & CEO Community Foundation of Louisville
COPY EDITOR Amy Higgs
DESIGN Joe Weber, Bisig Impact Group
PUBLISHER Community Foundation of Louisville
ForGood is a publication of the Community Foundation of Louisville. At the Community Foundation, we are committed to promoting the understanding and participation in philanthropy in all of its different shapes and forms. This publication is an expression of that commitment that we hope helps to inform, inspire and create a community of thoughtful citizens dedicated to improving the world around them.
Visit cflouisville.org to learn more.
Contents /
ISSUE 2 / 2016
feature ON FAITH & PHILANTHROPY P. 10
ON THE COVER Rabbi Gaylia R. Rooks Dr. Muhammad Babar Dr. Kevin W. Cosby
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PHOTOGRAPHY O’Neil Arnold
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P. 14
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GIVE LOCAL LOUISVILLE
WHO INSPIRES US
Impact on the day of giving and beyond.
The Sirchios are igniting a spark in youth to change the world.
THE PARADOX OF GENEROSITY By giving we receive, but by taking we lose.
Nonprofits
worth knowing
ACCORDING TO the Louisville Metro Continuum of Care Homeless Census, in 2014, there were over 7,300 homeless Louisvillians. While this represents a 14 percent decrease from the previous year, we still have over 3,400 people with disabilities and 1,300 children living on our streets and in shelters. Our community’s response to homelessness has been coordinated by the Coalition for the Homeless since 1986. Programs like Rx: Housing Veterans and Bed One Stop focus on addressing the root causes of homelessness and making services to the homeless more cost-effective, efficient and compassionate. The Coalition coordinates the efforts of 29 shelters, agencies and advocacy groups that work
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collectively to serve the homeless in Louisville. These partner organizations provide housing, food, clothing, health care and legal services to every population including children, families and veterans. Here are a few of the agencies doing this important work: Choices Inc. provides supportive housing, case management and lifeskills training to homeless families and homeless single women with mental and/or physical disabilities. St. John Center provides shelter, social services and supportive housing to homeless men to help them address barriers to selfsufficiency and housing so that they may leave homelessness for good.
Wellspring provides supportive housing and psychiatric rehabilitation, including crisis stabilization, to adults with severe and persistent mental illness, assuring clients opportunities for community integration and recovery.
Learn more at louhomeless.org.
THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS and its member agencies are doing the important work of delivering direct services to Louisville’s homeless population — from providing stable, secure housing to veterans to coordinating health care and counseling for families. For organizations addressing the basic needs of some of our community’s most vulnerable populations, small, flexible, unrestricted funding can make a big impact. See how much good small grants can do: • $100 to St. John Center would enable 10 men to gather the documents they need to rent an apartment, such as an ID, birth certificate and application fee. • $200 to Wellspring would provide meals for 15 Crisis Stabilization clients for a day or buy TARC tickets for 120 Supportive Housing Program clients for a month.
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• $300 to Choices Inc. would provide a month’s worth of utilities for a homeless family or a month’s worth of case management sessions to help them set goals to achieve self-sufficiency.
This I Believe BECOMING A RIVER, NOT A RESERVOIR I believe that the pursuit of happiness comes from giving. rowing up in one of the poorest nations in the world, Ethiopia, I was always challenged to make decisions whether or not to give away the last change in my pocket to the child who’s asking for food. I have always wondered and pondered if that change could make a difference in the child’s life or maybe I should just have a cup of coffee and satisfy my morning cravings. The answer was yes, it would make a difference because most children on the streets of Addis are not able to afford even one meal a day, and it was this mere fact that pushed me to believe in giving and made me become a grateful person. Thus, I realized that giving is not something that is innate, but it is acquired through the different circumstances and experiences we come through in life. It is this experience and lessons learned in life that make me want to cultivate a sense of abundance or surplus and become the river not a reservoir. Whatever I receive, I must give away. As the Bible says, when we give or help, we reap the pleasure of knowing we have made a difference in someone else’s life, and this satisfies my soul because I have one life and one chance to make it right. Giving requires pushing past a feeling of reluctance and doubt because intuitively, we want to hold on to things for ourselves. But it’s that moment of truth when we
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put ourselves in the other person’s shoe that will give us freedom to surrender to selfless acts of kindness. We have to be able to realize that all things in this world are temporary, and people are what matters. What we give to help others builds them up enough that they are able to give to others and keep the chain of kindness continued. Even though this sometimes becomes a challenge, I always remind myself of this quote by Marlo Thomas that, “There are two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. The takers may eat better but the givers sleep better.” This, I believe.
THE TAKERS MAY EAT BETTER, BUT THE GIVERS SLEEP BETTER
/ B Y ELI SHADIE T EZERA
Elishadie Tezera was born in Ethiopia, and she moved to the United States when she was 17 years old. She currently lives with her husband in Louisville, where she is a third-year dental student at the University of Louisville.
“Becoming a River, Not a Reservoir,” Copyright ©2013 by Elishadie Tezera. From the Essay Collection at thisibelieve.org, Copyright ©2005–2016 by This I Believe, Inc. Reprinted with permission. This I Believe is a Louisville-based non-profit organization engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide our daily lives.
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GIVE LOCAL LOUISVILLE BY JACOB KUPFERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY O’NEIL ARNOLD
OUR COMMUNITY IS AMAZING, and we showed that on
Oct. 1, during the second Give Local Louisville 24-hour online day of giving. We came together to show our love for 362 local nonprofits to the tune of $3 million through 8,785 gifts; an increase of more than $1 million over the previous year. From the extensive media coverage, to the midday rally at 4th Street Live! when Patti Swope of the Swope Family Foundation announced that it would donate $1,000 to each of the organizations involved, to the buzz created across social media, the community really rallied behind this philanthropic movement. People came out by the thousands to show their support for the organizations that enrich our city in so many different ways.
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It goes to show what is possible when individual citizen philanthropists come together to turn gifts, big and small, into major impact for our community. What kind of impact? We’re glad you asked. On the following pages, we hope you enjoy just a few of the stories that demonstrate the kind of lasting impact a day of giving can make.
Learn more at cflouisville.org.
The Swope Family Foundation making a surprise announcement.
SAVE THE DATE:
THE BIGGEST DAY OF LOCAL GIVING 2015
9/15/2016 Learn how you can get involved in Give Local Louisville in 2016, as donor, nonprofit or sponsor by calling 502.585.4649.
362 LOCAL NONPROFITS
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8,785 DONATIONS
3RAISED
$
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$1 MILLION OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR 2 0 1 6 / I s s ue 2 / For Good
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G I V E LO C AL LO UIS V I L L E / S TOR I ES O F I M PACT
DOGS HELPING HEROES
NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE In the heart of the West Louisville exists an organization dedicated to redefining the perspective of the area’s youth. Neighborhood House and its Youth Development Program are helping to expose children to new opportunities and broaden their horizons. In the words of director of development and communications, Denise Sears, “Kids here can dream of brighter tomorrows.” Assisting 350 children per year — up to 150 on a daily basis — Neighborhood House is trying to break the cycle of poverty by educating youth through an after-school safe space, complete with nourishing meals, enrichment activities, job training, goal setting and much more. Through the exposure received from Give Local Louisville, Neighborhood House was able to raise 125% of its fundraising goal. Neighborhood House plans to use funds raised through Give Local Louisville to strengthen its Youth Development Program even more. These new funds will allow Neighborhood House to expand and improve its summer program, designed to help students prevent summer learning loss, and help revamp the organization’s Saturday remedial education program. Last summer, 97.5% of program participants maintained or advanced their reading levels in just six weeks. The goal moving forward is to serve as many children as possible with the best resources available, helping to infuse them with the idea of a brighter tomorrow and newfound opportunities.
Getting a new nonprofit off the ground can be a daunting task, but not so daunting that Dave Benson didn’t want to try. Dave saw the positive impact a trained service dog had on his brother-in-law, a war veteran, and wanted others to enjoy the same benefit. He created a virtuous process to rescue dogs, rehabilitate local prison inmates by engaging them to help train the dogs, and then restore a sense of freedom to veterans and first responders by pairing them with service dogs. He knew it was a great idea, but he needed to build awareness and raise money to support his new organization’s work. This is where Give Local Louisville came in. “We saw Give Local Louisville as a great platform to tell our story and engage with the community,” says Dave, executive director of Dogs Helping Heroes. As a result of its participation in Give Local Louisville, the coverage the group received in the Courier-Journal, the nonprofit rally and the power of social media, Dogs Helping Heroes will be able to double the number of dogs it places over the next year.
“I know Cash has my back and will keep me safe”
“Kids here can dream of brighter tomorrows”
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Learn more at nhky.org.
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“As a recipient of a dog, I want people to know that this dog has enabled me to go into public comfortably after years of withdrawing. I know Cash has my back and will keep me safe,” says John Wells, a Vietnam veteran. Dogs Helping Heroes plans to use this momentum to grow the organization to meet the great demand for service dogs. Learn more at dogshelpingheroes.org.
BY JACOB KUPFERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY ANTHONY TRAN
BEADED TREASURES PROJECT As a refugee in the United States, an individual receives government help for only a resettlement period of six months. Following that period, many refugees are left trying to find their way in American society. The Beaded Treasures Project has created skills workshops on jewelry making to give refugee women a chance to hone their skills in jewelry making, sewing, gourmet food production and even economics. Each workshop, held for groups of around 8 to 10 women, is led by founder and program director Surekha Kulkarni.
SALVATION ARMY We’ve all come in contact with holiday bell-ringers and the Angel Tree program, but the Salvation Army of Louisville works all year long with adults, children and families in need of assistance. With the help of Give Local Louisville, the local chapter is able to make that assistance go even further through innovative programs. In a city known for its dining scene, the Salvation Army is leveraging that niche to drive its new culinary education program. By giving the participants premierlevel culinary training, the Salvation Army’s program is not only providing skills training to those who need it, but also carrying on one of the best traditions this city has to offer: food. “Food is what brings people together,” says recent program graduate, Suemaryl Allen. Since her time in the culinary program, Suemaryl has worked with local chefs like Dean Corbett and Anoosh Shariat, but she decided to come back to the Salvation Army to be a lead chef for its day-to-day operations. “People who are homeless that get to eat real food made with love gives them a chance to feel at home,” she says about her new job. “They get to eat good food, and the Salvation Army makes them feel wanted.” Because of the funds raised during Give Local Louisville, the Salvation Army can now enroll 21 more students, just like Suemaryl, in its culinary program, provide shelter and meals for a week to 171 more individuals, or improve and build upon the new initiatives it has started.
“Food is what brings people together”
Learn more at salvationarmylouisville.org.
Give Local Louisville sparked a completely new level of awareness surrounding the Beaded Treasures Project. The Oct. 1 day of giving spiked a doubling of online sales, giving the Beaded Treasures Project the ability to expand its Beaded and Threaded Treasures initiatives. Perhaps the most unique part of the Give Local Louisville experience for the group was the nonmonetary donations it received. As a result of the exposure from Give Local Louisville, an alteration business was donated to the Beaded Treasures Project. “The enterprising seamstresses of our sewing initiative, Threaded Treasures, can now start doing clothing alterations right away,” Surekha says. By doubling web sales and gaining more attention in the local media, Beaded Treasures will now be able to hold three additional workshops to help 30 more women learn and master their own trades in the next year. “This is a perfect example of the how an event like this can spark such unexpected, amazing acts by the community,” Surekha says.
Learn more at beadedtreasuresproject.com.
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THE GENEROSITY PARADOX: BY GIVING WE RECEIVE, BUT BY TAKING WE LOSE
BY CHRISTIAN SMITH AND HILARY DAVIDSON
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Americans who are more generous live healthier, more fulfilling lives. It’s science. enerosity is paradoxical. Those who give, receive back in turn. By spending ourselves for others’ well-being, we enhance our own. In letting go of some of what we own, we better secure our own lives. By giving ourselves away, we ourselves move toward greater flourishing. This is not only a philosophical or religious teaching, it is a sociological fact. The generosity paradox can also be stated in the negative. By grasping onto what we currently have, we lose out on better goods that we might have gained. In keeping to ourselves what we possess, we diminish its long-term value to us. By always protecting ourselves against future uncertainties and misfortunes, we are formed in ways that make us more anxious about uncertainties and vulnerable to future misfortunes. In short, by failing to care for others, we do not properly take care of ourselves. It is no coincidence that the word “miser” is etymologically related to the word “miserable.” This paradox of generosity should not be surprising. Many wise observers of human life have taught different versions of the generosity paradox. An ancient Hebrew proverb reads “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but ends up impoverished.” The Buddha taught that “Giving brings happiness at every stage of its expression.” A Hindu proverb holds that “They who give have all things, they who withhold have nothing.” And Jesus of Nazareth said “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” The more generous Americans are, the more happiness, health, and purpose in life they enjoy. But many people today seem not much shaped by the sayings of wise teachers from thousands of years ago. So, if we want to understand the power of generosity in a way that might influence our lives today, it may help to add to this traditional wisdom some empirical findings from social-scientific research. For the last three years we have been leading a study called the
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THEY WHO GIVE HAVE ALL THINGS, THEY WHO WITHHOLD HAVE NOTHING
Science of Generosity Initiative at the University of Notre Dame. In that study, we have conducted a nationally representative survey of Americans’ practices and beliefs about generosity, hundreds of interviews with Americans around the country on generosity, and participant-observation studies of local religious congregations. What we learn is the following. First, the more generous Americans are, the more happiness, health, and purpose in life they enjoy. This association between generous practices and personal well-being is strong and highly consistent across a variety of kinds of generous practice and measures of well-being. Second, we have excellent reason to believe that generous practices actually cause enhanced personal well-being. The association between generosity and well-being is not accidental, spurious, or simply an artifact of reverse causal influence. Certain well-known, explicable causal mechanisms explain for us the specific ways that generous practices shape positive outcomes. Third, the way Americans talk about generosity confirms and illustrates the first two points. The paradox of generosity is evident in the lives of Americans. Despite all of this, it turns out that many Americans fail to live generous lives. A lot of Americans are indeed very generous. But even more are not. And so the latter are deprived, by their lack of generosity, of the greater well-being that greater generosity would likely afford them. This is the second paradox of generosity. Finally, as we mentioned above, many wise writers, philosophers, religious teachers, sages, and mystics have been teaching us about the paradox of generosity for thousands of years. What today’s empirical social-science research tells us only confirms what we might have known all along, had we trusted traditional teachers. Generosity cannot be faked in order to achieve some other more valued self-serving end. The paradox of generosity also seems to entail this relevant truth: Generosity cannot be faked in order to achieve some other more valued self-serving end. Generosity itself needs to be desired. The good of other people must be what we want. Generosity cannot be counterfeited. And fake generosity does not make us happier, healthier, and more purposeful in life. To live generously, one must in due time really become a generous person. Generosity must be authentic. It must actually be believed and practiced as a real part of one’s life. continue on p. 17
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COV ER S TO RY /
ON FAITH & PHILANTHROPY BY DR. JOHN R. DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY O’NEIL ARNOLD
THINK BACK to your earliest memories of giving. Do you recall sitting in a pew with your parents or grandparents as they passed the offering plate or put money in a tzedakah box? What about collecting food, clothing or toys for families who had fallen on hard times? Or volunteering to clean up the yard of an elderly neighbor? For many of us, these memories can be traced back to the
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teachings and traditions instilled by our places of worship and their influence on our family values. The strong connection between faith and philanthropy has long been recognized. The 2013 National Study of American Religious Giving found that 65 percent of religiously affiliated people gave to charity, compared with 56 percent of those with no religious affiliation. As we look at an increase in religiously
unaffiliated Americans, sometimes called the “nones,” generational differences and the implications as younger generations supplant older ones, we must explore what this trend means for the organizations and people who rely on philanthropic support. According to the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, nearly 20 percent of Americans are religiously
unaffiliated today, up from 15 percent in 2007. Thirty-two percent of adults under 30 have no religious affiliation, compared with 9 percent who are 65 or older. And this isn’t just a time-of-life nuance — the research shows that religious commitment tends to remain relatively steady throughout adult life. As those with no religious affiliation age, many people worry that these individuals will give significantly less than their predecessors, negatively affecting agencies and institutions that aid the poor, fund education, implement community service projects, and endow the arts — many of the things that make a community healthy, compassionate and connected. It’s a scary thought for all of us — those of any faith or of none. Three of Louisville’s wellknown faith leaders recently convened for a conversation on faith and philanthropy hosted by the Community Foundation of Louisville and the Center for Interfaith Relations at Simmons College of Kentucky to discuss these very issues. The panelists included Rev. Dr. Kevin W. Cosby, pastor of St. Stephen Church and president of Simmons College, Dr. Gaylia R. Rooks, rabbi at The Temple and Dr. Muhammad Babar, a physician and lay leader at the Louisville Islamic Center. According to Dr. Cosby, the African American church has not seen a significant decline in parishioner engagement, which he attributes to the historic role that the church has COMPASSION AND played in the lives of its members since the time PHILANTHROPY GO of slavery in the United HAND-IN-HAND. States. “The church … was the source of our strength, sanity and liberation,” Says Dr. Cosby. Because the church was at
the center of the African American community, providing a strong sense of cultural identity and hope, it remains an integral part of the African American lifestyle today. “It is for that reason that African Americans support their church; because of the vital role it played in our liberation and empowerment.” Giving of oneself is a virtue, Rabbi Rooks says, Judaism instills “from a very young age; the idea of doing justice,” pointing out that children in her congregation are taught, even before kindergarten, to practice generous giving. “The word for ‘charity’ in Hebrew is actually tzedakah,” she says. “The root of the word tzedakah is tzedek, or ‘justice’ or ‘righteousness’…doing what is right and just.” When a young Jewish boy or girl has their bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah at age 13, they receive two gifts: a Jewish Study Bible for continued learning and a tzedakah
box to underscore the importance of giving. Giving is also a primary teaching in the Islamic faith, according to Dr. Babar. Members are expected to donate a certain portion of their wealth to the needy, a concept called zakat. “In Islam … everything belongs to God almighty, and we human beings hold it in trust,” he says. “The Holy Quran says there is already a predetermined share for others in continue on p. 16
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PROF IL E / MY FAITH & PHILANTHROPY
ON FAITH & PHILANTHROPY
VIVIAN RUTH SAWYER “You cannot out-give God,” says Vivian Ruth Sawyer. As an active member of the Louisville community, a Masters of Divinity Student at Asbury Theological Seminary, and someone who has long been active in her church, Vivian has given a great deal of thought to the relationship between faith and philanthropy. “If God put some need in my path, and I am able to take care of that, then I believe I should,” says Vivian. “It is so much more interesting to see what can happen out of giving … than it is to keep that to myself.” Vivian spent her formative years in Gainesville, Fla. He father was a professor at the university and the choir director of their church. Her parents’ lessons on giving were more by example than instruction. Vivian recalls that while her parents definitely gave, there was very little talk about it at home. While living in Paris in the early 1980s, Vivian met her husband, Tom. The two moved to Louisville in 1984 when he accepted a job with Humana. Here, they found a welcoming community where they could really get involved. Vivian says her present understanding of faithful generosity was shaped as a young adult when she was exposed to evangelical organizations such as Young Life. “I knew what tithing was … but began to see that if the Bible said to tithe, then this was, for me, a part of joyful living.” Vivian’s children, Andrew and Sidney, remember being taught to tithe when they were young, as well as the importance the Bible places on generosity. They have always felt as a family that it’s important to both give and give back to their community.
“It is so much more interesting to see what can happen out of giving”
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PROF IL E / MY FAITH & PHILANTHROPY
ON FAITH & PHILANTHROPY
MARTHA DIEBOLD As Martha Diebold’s faith has developed, so has her understanding of community. Raised as the oldest of seven children in Bardstown, Ky., Martha inherited the tradition of giving back from her parents. For them, the church was always first. In addition to tithing (giving 10% of the family’s income to the church), Martha’s father was quick to help others, and her mother always rolled up her sleeves to respond to a neighbor in need. After graduating from college, becoming a Certified Public Accountant, getting married and having children, Martha’s spiritual life took a new direction. “I felt I had to go deeper in my journey,” she says. Through meditation classes at the Earth and Spirit Center and exposure to the work of Just Faith Ministries, Martha increasingly felt called to work directly with people in the margins. “I think our society will flourish if we go and know our neighbors … as we open our hearts to that other person.” Her hope is to become “more compassionately, humbly and actively present in the face of human need.” Martha recently completed a two-year program at the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, N.M. For her final project, she chose to explore the idea of “Contemplative Philanthropy.” This involved “trusting in the Holy Spirit” as she worked with both her family and the local community to facilitate collaborative efforts and enhance relationship building among charities. As a result, Martha’s giving is greatly informed by her ties with charitable organizations. “It is much more than writing a check,” she says. “It feels more relational, more compassionate, more collaborative. I view my project as a lifelong journey.” Martha continues to spend much of her time fostering the bounds among and between nonprofit organizations, serving on boards and connecting with those who benefit from the programs they offer.
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Who Inspires Us WENDY AND KRIS SIRCHIO
BY JACOB KUPFERMAN PHOTOGRAPHY ANTHONY TRAN
AS BUSINESSPEOPLE, activists and everything in between, Wendy and Kris Sirchio have traveled the globe, diving into business endeavors in dozens of countries and finding success everywhere they’ve lived. It’s very rare that world travelers settle in a city and call it home. The Sirchios have dropped anchor here, and Louisville is lucky to have them. Now, as United States We Day ambassadors, Wendy and Kris are far from finished adding to their impressive résumés. We Day is an initiative in which participating children perform selfless acts of service to help improve both their local and global communities. The Sirchios have traveled the state, building the program from the ground up. It now stretches to include 30% of all schools in Kentucky, creating 14
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tangible impact. If you have the chance to talk to Wendy and Kris about We Day, they’ll eagerly tell you the day is not about them, but rather about celebrating the kids and the incredible work they’ve done. True to their nature, the Sirchios are quick to emphasize that their work is outshined by the accomplishments of the participants. “When young people find their spark and ignite it, their ability is unmeasurable,” Kris says. “Children are capable of redefining what is possible.” Guided by their sincere determination for making a difference, the Sirchios work to inspire and empower young people to take initiative to positively affect their communities and the world. Kris and Wendy have two young children, and it is their drive to
serve as role models to them that continuously motivates their desire to give back. “Giving back is an amazing feeling,” Wendy declares, “Young people want to be part of something that matters.” When 100-plus Louisville We Day participants were asked how empowered they felt to make a difference on a scale of 1 to 5, the average answer was 4.89. As the program continues to grow, the Sirchios and We Day will carry on a tradition of inspiring young people to work for positive change. The Sirchios have created an infrastructure of compassion for Louisville, bound to ignite the spark and inspire others the same way they have inspired us. For more information, visit weday.com, or contact Wendy at wendy@weday.com.
Advisors
corner COULD A CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST BE RIGHT FOR YOU? BY JERRY GREENWELL
Some people love the notion of being able to give significantly to charity, but they want to maintain an income stream during their lifetime while being thoughtful about tax implications. One way to accomplish that is to establish a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT). A CRT is an irrevocable trust that allows the donor, and possibly a spouse or other noncharitable beneficiary, to receive income for life or for a term of years. Typically, appreciated assets are transferred to the CRT. When the trustee sells the assets, no capital gains are recognized at the time of the sale. After the sale, income from the assets of the trust, often times 5% of the value of the assets in the trust, is distributed to the donor for the donor’s lifetime. The donor’s spouse may then receive income after the death of the donor. Ultimately, one or more charities will receive the remainder. When the trust is funded, the donor will receive an income tax deduction based on several factors, including the value of the assets originally contributed, the donor’s age and the age and relationship of any secondary non-charitable beneficiary. If the CRT is a qualified trust, meaning it meets
the guidelines set by the Internal Revenue Service, none of the assets in the CRT will be included in the donor’s estate upon the donor’s death. If the donor’s spouse is the secondary non-charitable beneficiary, because a spouse may receive tax-free gifts from each other, there will be no gift tax at the time the CRT is created. A charity must be the ultimate beneficiary after the death of the non-charitable beneficiaries. If a secondary non-charitable beneficiary, such as a sibling of the donor, has an income interest after the interest of the donor, a gift tax will be due at the time of creation based on
RECEIVE INCOME FOR LIFE OR FOR A TERM OF YEARS factors similar to those described above. However, with a larger estate and gift tax exemption available, the donor may be able to completely avoid paying gift taxes. While the CRT is irrevocable, the donor may retain the right to change a secondary non-charitable beneficiary. Such a provision will cause the value of the CRT at the time of the donor’s death to be included in the donor’s
estate for determining federal estate taxes. If the total value of all of the assets in the donor’s estate, including the CRT, is less than the estate tax exemption available to the donor, there will be no federal estate taxes due. This estate plan allows the donor to create a CRT that will pay income to the donor for his or her lifetime and also pay income to a secondary beneficiary, either a spouse or a non-spouse beneficiary, possibly without incurring any gift tax at the time of creation. When considering your options for charitable giving, the team at the Community Foundation of Louisville is a great resource. Be sure to consult with an attorney or a tax advisor to determine if a CRT or other charitable vehicle is right for you.
Jerry Greenwell is a member of Frost Brown Todd LLC and is the former Chair of the firm’s personal planning and family business department. He concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, and charitable planning. He also represents individual and corporate executors and trustees as well as beneficiaries of estates and trusts. He represents clients with a broad range of personal and family needs, business planning and succession, all of which often involve sophisticated estate and gift tax issues. Jerry is a former Chairman and Board Member of the Community Foundation of Louisville. 2 0 1 6 / I s s u e 2 / For G ood
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your fortune, and it is up to you to return their share to them.” Dr. Babar adds that while giving is important, “compassion is the most common word used in the Holy Quran. Compassion and philanthropy go hand-in-hand.” The values of compassion and philanthropy are fostered within the Muslim tradition through active good works, Dr. Babar says. “The Islamic principle is that you teach
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING IN WORSHIP, BUT ABOUT BEING IN COMMUNITY WITH OTHERS them with your example…that your kids should learn from your actions.” Rabbi Rooks believes many people understand that generous giving is essential to living a just and compassionate life, whether or not they are religious. In fact, she sees beyond the categories of “religiously affiliated” and the “nones” when considering the role that faith plays in motivating individuals to be generous, particularly those in younger generations. “What gives me hope is that while my kids’ generation…may not be interested in religious life as we know it, I think they are still very generous,” she says. “I think that they have really caring souls. In different ways they are perhaps equally, if not more, giving of
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themselves and their time and their energy and their means.” Dr. Babar agrees. “Compassion and philanthropy are innate to human nature,” he says. “Our humanity is a chain which is tied by compassion and love for one another.” Dr. Babar also acknowledges the growing population of those who consider themselves spiritual, but do not participate in an organized religion. “Faith definitely acts as a catalyst,” he adds, “but whenever a disaster happens, I see that all of the faith traditions…(even) agnostics and atheists, they all join their hands together and they help humanity. So, that is what gives me hope…that even in the future, compassion and love for each other will not decline.” These faith leaders’ reflections on compassion, both within and beyond religion, are not just wishful thinking. “The narrative of decline can be overblown,” says Dr. David King, of The Lake Institute on Faith and Philanthropy at Indiana University. The Institute provides education and training on the ways in which faith inspires and informs giving. For example, the term “religious affiliation” used by the Pew study placed those who only attend church once per month in the “unaffiliated” category, says King. In today’s fast –paced world, when many people are already over-committed to work, family and community activities, lack of regular church attendance may not necessarily indicate a complete absence of church affiliation. In addition, simply sitting in a pew does not determine a person’s level of generosity. The key to charitable giving is social connection, according David E. Campbell, co-author of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us and director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy. The more friends
a person has within a religious organization, the more likely he or she will donate to charity. Campbell also found that non-religious people who have friends within a religious congregation are even more likely to give of their time, talent and money than strong believers who have few social ties within their house of worship. King agrees. “It’s not just about being in worship, but about being in community with others.” The panelists acknowledge that each of their institutions must continue to foster a sense a community to pave the way for future generations of philanthropists, and they must be innovative in their approach. “We have come a long way but … there is so much we need to do to elevate our humanity through the spirit of compassion,” says Dr. Babar. “It would be too early to talk about “the sky falling” but the earth is definitely shifting,” says King. “I am optimistic and hopeful that this is the time to open up our conversation about faith, generosity, and connectedness. The Community Foundation of Louisville is an important player in this conversation.” As humans, we are all players in this vital conversation. Rabbi Rooks cites the teachings of Hillel the Elder, a famous Jewish scholar, as example anyone can follow, who asks, “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” She says that everyone has a responsibility to give back, faith affiliation or not. “We are all children of God, and we need to work together,” she says. “We as earthly messengers, we have that incredible gift from God to make a difference in people lives, which is something even angels can’t do.”
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Generosity is like love in this way. People often say that we increase the love we have by giving it away. When we love other people more, we often then find that the love we feel only grows more. But that dynamic requires really loving the others, really giving them our love. Love must be genuine, and then when it is, the normal, bigger consequences of loving tend to follow. It is the same with generosity. For generosity to enhance well-being, it must be the generosity, not the well-being, that we are after. The enhanced well-being then comes indirectly and secondarily. However, that fact does not mean that people must first somehow fully internalize and authentically personalize generosity before they can practice being generous at all. One of the best ways to become a truly generous person is simply to start behaving like one. Right attitudes often do follow right actions. New beliefs and insights are frequently provoked by new behaviors and instigation of habits. Like many things in life, we usually learn by doing, we perfect activities and attitudes by practicing them. So, while generosity cannot ultimately be faked, people certainly can learn generosity, can come to personally believe in, and practice real generosity, by first simply setting into motion new behaviors that are generous and then reflecting upon and soaking in their meaning and consequences.
Reprinted from The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson with permission from Oxford University Press. Š Oxford University Press 2014.
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