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writer: lea coon
"The word 'philanthropy' has
nothing
to do with money itself." |
Dr. Keith Taylor proves that great ideas can strike at any moment. In early 2002 during his evening commute, Taylor was thinking about how he could help those in need on the modest salary he was earning as an English professor. He approached the problem like a scholar, dwelling on the etymology of the word "philanthropy" and its literal meaning in ancient Greek - compassion for people. "During that drive I had an epiphany," Taylor says. "The word 'philanthropy' has nothing to do with money itself. Suddenly, I realized what I'd been missing all of those years I'd thought about [helping others]."
Taylor himself had been on the receiving end of what he calls, "person-to-person philanthropy." When he was a graduate student, his car broke down. Scraping by on $800 USD a month, he had to decide between fixing his car and paying rent. He chose to fix the car because he needed it for work. Three days before he was going to be evicted from his apartment, a coworker gave Taylor the amount he needed to pay his rent. "That gift," says Taylor, "was literally the difference between . remaining in school, going on to the career that I eventually pursued, or becoming homeless." The experience of this timely generosity left a deep impression on Taylor.
A person does not need to have millions of dollars to be a philanthropist. The people who had helped Taylor were far from wealthy. "They'd simply been compassionate and shared with me what they could when they knew it would make the greatest difference in my life," he says. Soon after this realization, Taylor assessed his own finances, cut out unnecessary expenses and started Modest Needs. This online charity assists those in situations he understood from his own experience. Since then, Modest Needs, based in New York City, has offered "self-sufficiency grants" to hundreds of economically vulnerable individuals and families across the US who experience sudden, untimely misfortune.
The organization functions as a pioneer in online philanthropy. People in need of financial assistance submit an online application to Modest Needs, which verifies the applicant's circumstances. If approved, the applicant's request is posted online for the organization's network of donors to review. Modest Needs remits payment directly to a creditor or service provider on the applicant's behalf if the application is funded.
According to Taylor, 65 percent of former grant recipients have donated back to Modest Needs. "We understand that, for most people, their gift is also a sacrifice," Taylor says. The result is a dynamic community constituted by individuals who are able to touch the lives of people in a short-term crisis by simply giving what they can. |
Looking at the bathtub vandals had destroyed after breaking into her trailer home, Melanie Ridner experienced a moment of stunned helplessness and thought, “How am I going to pay for this?”
This was not the start of her problems. Melanie has undergone dozens of surgeries including a total thyroidectomy after complications caused by a medication she was prescribed. She had a heart attack in 2003, and a stent was inserted into her heart. In the months following this surgery, Melanie had several more stents inserted.
In 2003, Melanie purchased a trailer home, one of the few places she could afford on the Supplemental Security Income she received. Shortly before she was to move in, vandals broke in and destroyed her entire bathroom, including the bathtub. Melanie could not afford the repairs, and for the next three years she washed in the sink - an awkward task made even more difficult by her health problems. |
Melanie's trailer home was vandalized, taking years to repair. photo | courtesy of Bobbie Teal Atlas
Melanie sits on the edge of the new bathtub that she received through a self-sufficiency grant from Modest Needs.
photo | courtesy of Bobbie Teal Atlas |
Melanie contacted several nonprofits for assistance, but the desire to keep clean safely and comfortably was not something that fit neatly within the mandate of the organizations she approached. In 2006, Melanie found Modest Needs online and contacted one of its client advocacy specialists. "I know that they actually care about people. . They are genuine," Melanie says about the people who patiently guided her through the application process. "They will work with you as long as it takes." Melanie's request for a self-sufficiency grant was approved, and a new bathtub was installed.
Like many grant recipients, Melanie gives back to Modest Needs by sending a small donation each month. |
Stephanie hugs her father Curt.
photo | courtesy of the Shewell Family |
Some people turn to Modest Needs after a kaleidoscope of bad luck; others do so because of problematic gaps in health care systems. The Shewell family fell into one of these gaps in January 2005, after one of their children, Stephanie, was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Treatment for her condition was unavailable near their home in Michigan. Stephanie’s father Curt was forced to take her to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee. During the next few months, Curt took many days off work to travel to St. Jude to comfort his daughter and oversee her treatment. |
In December 2006, his employer terminated his health benefits. Curt quit his job to find work and health care benefits elsewhere.
The Shewells opted to continue their health insurance coverage through COBRA, which requires beneficiaries to pay the premium to continue coverage they had through their previous employer. Their first COBRA payment was $1,300 USD, an amount they did not have.
Stephanie’s stepmother Sheri discovered Modest Needs after surfing the Internet for foundations that help alleviate the financial hardships associated with childhood cancer. As the due date for the COBRA payment quickly approached, the Shewells applied for a Modest Needs self-sufficiency grant. Once their application was posted online, it was funded within two days.
This was not the end of the tough times the Shewells faced. Although Curt had found another job that provided health benefits, his income was less. Curt and Sheri were crushed by debt and a mortgage they could not pay. They seriously considered selling their home, going as far as putting up a “For Sale” sign. A volunteer at Modest Needs insisted that the Shewells pull the sign and apply for further assistance for the mortgage payment. The application was funded, and the Shewells kept their home.
“The situation could have happened to anyone,” Sheri says. “We’re both educated, we’ve both had careers all of our lives. But it took less than two years for [our financial stability] to go down the drain.”
Despite the challenges that the family has faced, they plan to contribute $10 USD a month to Modest Needs. Sheri insists, “A little bit does make a difference.” |
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