Saturday, 12 June 2010
Just when your faith in philanthropy begins to fade, heroes step forward to prove that giving to the special-needs community
is alive and well. I'm talking, of course, about Nancy Lurie Marks and the Wellesley Foundation.
You may have read the Boston Globe article that described Mark's and her family foundation's incredible $29 million gift to Massachusetts General Hospital. They plan to use this money to create programs that provide specialized care to adults
with autism, as well as expand and grow child autism research, services, advocacy and physician training.
There are other wealthy foundations and individuals in the Massachusetts area who may still be keeping their wallets in their pockets, waiting for brighter economic times to come. It is easier to wait for a booming economy and bulging bank accounts to return before offering up new donations.
But the time to be a hero is now, when the chips are down, and distressed people need you most.
That is what Nancy Lurie Marks and the Wellesley Foundation have done. And they are what I call heroes.