Philanthropists Are Made, Not Born

Jean Floten, Keynote Address at Overlake Service League Luncheon

March 30, 2006

Good afternoon, and thanks to Patti Payne, our own Princess of the Press, for that warm introduction. I always love being part of a program with Patti.

And, I am deeply honored to address you, who make this splendid organization, the Overlake Service League, such a fundamentally important and effective contributor to our community. OSL brings stability and self-sufficiency to the lives of those who most need help. It gets people through momentary difficulties, with items like rent and utility payments for Monica; and, for BCC student Mandy Mann, it provides both the inspiration and opportunity to reach the highest goal: her dreams. Powerful work!

You know, no matter how many speeches you give there is always that moment of panic. When thinking about today, for example, I flashed on author Louis Untermeyer, who addressed a group like this that was raising much-needed funds. At the end of his speech, he provided a nice donation and encouraged the organization to use it well. Some time later, he inquired about what they had done with the money. It went, they said, toward "a fund to get better speakers next year.” Now, don't go collecting change after my comments today!

In our precious time this afternoon, I want to explore a couple of thoughts with you – concepts about the importance of community and giving.

No doubt about it, our community is great; we are fortunate to live here. Yet, despite overall prosperity, there are many people among us in pain.

We know that people's fortunes can change dramatically, as did Monica's -- due to divorce, illness, injury, loss of employment, or myriad other life events -- that can drive an individual or entire families into urgent need. Moreover, the 2000 census tells us the number of families living in poverty in Bellevue increased by 38% over the prior decade -- to more than 6,000 people! While the poverty rate is less than 6% here, it is 10% among our foreign-born residents, which comprise a quarter of us; and it is a whopping 32% for single mothers with children under 5. And, I am saddened to report, one of every five children in Bellevue lives at or near the poverty line! There is great need – right here in Bellevue.

I admire your generous giving to OSL and am impressed that there are so many of you here today – almost 1,000! That says a lot about the Bellevue community. It is made up of concerned, caring people who reach out to those who need help.

I also am deeply impressed by the good that the Overlake Service League accomplishes each year, through your support.

• Providing food, clothing and other essentials for people in crisis.

• Providing for tutoring, summer school and other activities that help teens develop confidence in their ability to succeed.

• Providing educational grants for young people and adults to develop the skills to become self-sufficient.

These people-to-people programs touch lives directly, making a real difference precisely at the point of need. You should feel proud to help such an effective organization.

With the major league baseball season opening on Sunday, the title of today's luncheon, “Step Up to the Plate,” is certainly timely. (Go Mariners!) And like baseball, charitable giving – stepping up to the plate and giving of personal resources -- is essentially an American tradition. Did you know that, of all the charitable giving worldwide, the majority takes place in North America? 1.6 million charities exist because of support of donors like you. And, Americans contribute an amazing quarter trillion dollars (250 B) to charity annually. Remarkably, 80 percent of that comes from individuals, not foundations or corporations.

Our pattern of giving is different in the U.S. Philanthropy elsewhere generally focuses on supporting one's family and friends. But, we in the U.S. direct our giving primarily to organizations that help people we don't even know. This denotes a special kind of caring, not simply from one human to another, but for the well-being of entire communities.

I traveled to China recently, a country cracking open the door to free markets after decades of oppression. It was exhilarating to feel the energy of China's redevelopment. And it started me thinking about what makes a society great. Is it private enterprise? Is it the freedom of democracy? In our country, I realized, it is both of those, combined with an essential third factor: Our citizens value human rights, care for each other, and are generous in the world, both with time and resources. This is not always the case in most of the world today.

Years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville noted this remarkable aspect of American society, reporting that charity in America was a good deal more than simple compassion -- it was accepted as the mark of good citizenship. Today, everyone here has, once again, become a valued part of that tradition, but I would challenge us all to ask ourselves these questions: Is even this really enough? What does our society need from us as philanthropists, and to what do we aspire in our giving?

In my mind, working toward being responsible and caring citizens has three dimensions: giving of our resources, volunteering our time and talents, and instilling philanthropic values in the next generation.

Today, you have generously demonstrated your commitment to the first goal. I would venture, too, that most of you also achieve the second, by volunteering on the front lines of philanthropy – many through this organization. I must add that the power of this volunteerism should not be underestimated. Even one individual can make a difference. In fact, as Margaret Meade noted, this is all that ever really has made a difference. As Anita Roddick said more humorously, “If you think you're too small to have an impact, try sleeping with a mosquito."

I'm proud to say this city and our country are blessed with people who agree. In addition to giving financially, thousands of people in Bellevue, and millions nationwide, involve themselves personally, doing everything from serving in homeless shelters to cleaning up the environment. Overall, more than 56% of Americans – men and women, young and old – give through volunteer work to create a better world. They are indispensable to our society.

And the benefits are not one-way. You want to know a secret? Volunteering is better than Valium! A recent survey of volunteers reveals that 70% feel stronger within themselves as a result of their involvement. They feel better about their lives and even calmer on a day-to-day basis. They suffer less stress and can expect better health. Volunteerism strengthens us and our community. While we all look for happiness, a passing sensation, what really sustains us is fulfillment of our humanity, something that makes us feel that our life has been worth living. I think of volunteering as oatmeal for the soul. As Churchill said more eloquently: “ We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. “

But even with generous giving AND volunteering on the front lines – as crucially important as those are – we are still not done. One more goal must be accomplished: passing the torch of philanthropy and civic engagement to the next generation.

Philanthropy is an acquired taste. We're not born with the urge to give. As a recent magazine noted, "There are only two things a child will share willingly: communicable diseases and his mother's age."

No, philanthropists are made, not born. If we want to ensure future generations of volunteers and donors, we have to teach those values to our children proactively. What if we could instill the values of citizenship to the point where our children would proudly take this oath?

We will never bring disgrace on our City by an act of dishonesty or cowardice. We will fight for the ideals and sacred things of the City both alone and with many. We will revere and obey the City's laws, and will do our best to incite like reverence and respect in those who are prone to annul or set them at naught. We will strive increasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic duty. In all these ways, we will transmit this City, not only not less, but greater, better, and more beautiful, than it was transmitted to us.

After passing a two-year course covering military practice and civic duties and receiving a spear and a shield, young men in the ancient city-state of Athens took this oath of commitment to their community. Yes, the Greeks recognized, more than two millennia ago, not only the value of citizenship but the need to pass its value on to the next generation.

In our modern, supposedly enlightened and advanced society, are we doing as well? Unfortunately, today's culture generally encourages youth to look for immediate gratification, rather than reaching out to others.

I get discouraged when I read the results of the annual freshman survey at UCLA. Forty years ago, the most important reason freshmen gave for college was to “develop a meaningful and responsible…life,” ranked as “very important” by 85 percent. In 2003, the number one objective, at 75%, was “becoming very well-off financially.” Concerns about a meaningful and responsible life had plummeted to 39%. Are we losing ground as a society? Are we overly focused on money and toys? Is there sufficient focus on character and qualities like compassion and philanthropy? We already know the unfortunate answers to these questions. The real question is -- what must we do to instill and pass on these values to the next generation?

Some of the best advice I have seen is to expose young people to the wider world. Take children into the lives of those less fortunate. Studies show the more we interact with people from other walks of life, the more we develop empathy and compassion. Another suggestion is to seize teachable moments to convey values. For example, what do we say to our children when a panhandler asks for money? What do we say when Hurricane Katrina takes away everything a family has, even their lives? Is our message one of personal responsibility, compassion and generosity? These are clear opportunities to share that which we think is most important.

But while charity, in this sense, really does begin at home, as an educator I am intrigued by the role our major socializing institutions, schools, can play to instill these values.

Some states have gone so far to make philanthropy part of their core curriculum, providing students hands-on experience in giving and serving.

A model we have adopted at BCC is Service Learning, which combines community service with classroom teaching. Students volunteer in the community and relate that experience to specific learning-objectives in their classes – which can be in any subject, from Anthropology to Zoology. Students learn critical thinking, as well as personal and civic responsibility. Nearly 1,000 students take part each year, working with over 70 non-profits, doing such things as:

• Team-teaching English-as-a-Second-Language and citizenship to adult refugees.

• Serving food to residents of tent cities or homeless shelters.

• Joining police department domestic-violence witness-and-victim support teams.

• And, lending a hand at community events; in fact, 23 BCC students are here today during their Spring break. Thank you, students!

In written reflections of these experiences, students speak of an awakening of new ideals, fresh awareness of the value they can bring to society, and an increased sense of self-worth they receive in return. Time and again their reflections marvel at how the beauty of a person is often revealed even through the ugliness of pain, suffering, and deprivation. This powerful and life-altering learning need not be reserved for colleges: it works equally well among children– and for us adults, too.

As caring people, with a stake in the future of Bellevue, we need to create more opportunities such as these to pass on the torch of philanthropy to the next generation. The gift of generosity, itself, is as important as any other gift; and one we must not forget to give.

The good news is, when I see so many of you here today taking part in the great American tradition of philanthropy, it is clear that the future of our community, and the passing of the torch, is in good hands. The task is being handled by some very concerned and giving people, who aren't afraid to get involved and get things done, and who are sure to teach their children the same.

As I look at you, the people behind the Overlake Service League, I see the people poet Marge Pierce spoke of in “To Be of Use.” Here is an excerpt:

• I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
  who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
  who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
  who do what has to be done, again and again.
   

• I want to be with people who submerge
  in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
  and work in a row and pass the bags along,
  who stand in the line and haul in their places,
  who are not parlor generals and field deserters
  but move in a common rhythm
  when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
   

• The work of the world is common as mud.
  Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
  But the thing worth doing well done
  has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
  Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
  Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
  but you know they were made to be used.
  The pitcher cries for water to carry
  and a person for work that is real.

People who underwrite and undertake charitable work – which is among the earth's richest and most real human work -- are our true American heroes. I thank and congratulate you for joining their ranks.

Now, let's give Joan Valaas, Trish Carpenter, and all of the staff and volunteers of OSL, a huge round of applause for the real work they do, and, for providing us today with this way station in our own personal growth.