The kindness of strangers touches a reporter’s heart
Published: January 1, 2007
In case you skipped over the Life section for the past 39 days, here’s a recap of FLORIDA TODAY’s Reaching Out Holiday Fund and the role I played in it.
The fund, a 15-year-old charity, provides needy local children with nice things to open on Christmas. I was asked to write a series of short stories, one for each day from Thanksgiving Day until New Year’s Eve, about the generous people who donated to the kitty. I thought it would be simple, and sometimes it was. But often, at the end of the day, one or more sources left me feeling
downright depressed.
See, many of the Reaching Out donors dedicated their contributions to the memory of loved ones. My job was to ask people to describe some of the lowest points in their lives, and how giving to charity helps to ease their pain. Some already had worked through their grief, and were strong enough to talk about their late family members and friends.
Others began sobbing and were unable to continue the interview. If you want to know what it feels like to make three grown men cry in one day, take it from me — it feels terrible.
Some donors gave in memory of their parents, such as Jane Feldman of Baytree, who gave $50. Feldman told me a beautiful story about how her mother, Anne Feldman, used to give to everyone around her, including the garbage men. She always left out iced tea in the summer and hot chocolate in the winter. Anne’s generosity seemed to shine through in her daughter.
Others gave in memory of dear friends, such as Terre Lynn Richey of Palm Bay, one of the sweetest women I’ve ever spoken with. Richey gives to Reaching Out every year, but named this year’s $50 gift in memory of Pat Hurley, a co-worker taken too soon by cancer. Richey said Hurley “always made her laugh.”
The real tearjerkers were the stories of parents losing their children. Ellen and David Warren of Port St. John suffered through losing two sons, and donated $100 in their memory. “Be grateful that you’ve got them,” Ellen told me is what she says to parents who take their children for granted.
Some people who don’t have children treat their pets like their own flesh and blood, and any pet owner knows how difficult it can be to lose a furry friend. Suzanne Reddick of Melbourne donated to Reaching Out in memory of her beloved cocker spaniel, Candy, who died of liver disease around Thanksgiving 2005.
Not all of the stories were somber. Some gave me a sense of confidence in younger generations. I was surprised to learn about Annabeth Huff, 13, and her brother Andrew, 11, who each gave $20 to the fund. The Cocoa Beach kids earned the money by dog sitting for their neighbor. Andrew explained to me he always has lots of toys on Christmas, and feels bad for kids who do not.
Each person I called had something interesting to say, but not everyone had a personal reason
for giving to charity. In fact, the majority claimed they donated “just because.”
There also were many wealthy businesspeople who felt obligated to give back to the community they prospered in. Those people donated hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.
But as cliché as it may sound, no donation was too small. The total for this year’s fundraiser was $97,192.99, and that number could not have been reached without all the $10 and $20 checks here and there.
There are a couple things I learned from covering the Reaching Out Holiday Fund. As a member of this community, I realized there are more kind, selfless people in Brevard County than I once thought, and I am privileged to live among them. As a journalist, I learned the easiest stories to write are sometimes the most difficult to report. And every once in a while, as a fellow reporter advised, you just have to hang up the phone and have a good cry.
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