At the very center of this hope is you. We thank you for being part of this great work to change and save lives. As life progresses for each of us, consider the question, “what will my legacy of giving be?” Rachel Naomi Remen said: “We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected, that which we are willing to touch.” It is an understood truth that the giver benefits more than the receiver. You enjoy the blessings of social responsibility and charitable giving by bringing those individuals and families in need into your circle. The aphorism “a rising tide lifts all boats” illustrates that all benefit.
Mentors International is poised to extend our reach even further over the next two years. In creating a new strategic plan, we drew inspiration from Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute. According to Brooks, “Researchers at Harvard University collected data on 30,000 American families from 41 communities coast to coast in a comprehensive look at people’s service behavior and charitable giving.” He found, “…that when people give more money away, they tend to prosper….the giving family will earn on average $375 more in income than the non-giving family—and that’s statistically attributable to the gift.” The same principal was true with people who volunteer.
Brooks concluded, “…as we give more away, that translates into economic growth for our country. If we were to increase our private charitable donations by just 1 percent, which is about $2 billion a year, that would translate into a gross domestic product of about 39 billion new dollars. If I can take your $2 billion in charity and turn it into $39 billion, then suddenly charitable giving is not just a great investment for you. It’s also a patriotic act for our country because it translates into jobs, growth, opportunity, and tax revenues….Happiness is the secret to success. Charity brings happiness, and happiness brings success…. I’m a happy prosperous person because I live in a country with people who serve.”
Did you know that U.S. charitable giving jumped 13% last year to a record $416.5 billion? According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “In states like Utah and Mississippi, the typical household gives more than 7 percent of its income to charity.” In fact, Utah leads the nation with 10.6 percent of discretionary income going to charity. Remarkable!
