Like so many others in New Orleans, Sarah Duncan’s life was left in ruins after Hurricane Katrina. She is a professional musician in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches music part-time at Loyola University. The concert hall in downtown New Orleans was severely damaged by the flood, leaving the orchestra without a venue and the musicians without work for six months. Most of Sarah’s students were evacuated, and few have returned to the city. During the disaster, the delicate equipment and instruments Sarah relied on for her livelihood – two violins, a piano, her music library and recording equipment – were all destroyed when her apartment was flooded with two feet of water. |
Sarah plays her repaired violin, which was made possible with a self-sufficiency grant from Modest Needs.
photo | courtesy of Kyra Carpenter |
The cost of living in New Orleans rose after Hurricane Katrina, and Sarah had trouble finding the means to pay for basic necessities. She could not afford to replace her instruments. According to Sarah, “Many organizations have long since shut the door on our pleas for assistance, [and] I felt hopeless and did not know where to turn to climb out of the abyss.” After reading about Modest Needs in a newspaper, Sarah posted her request for a self-sufficiency grant to repair one violin. Ten days later, Keith Taylor called her to say that her grant had been funded. “This was the best news I had heard in a long time,” says Sarah. “[I felt] so much better knowing that help was on the way.”
The self-sufficiency grant helped Sarah deal both financially and emotionally with the great challenges facing many in New Orleans. “New Orleanians are still enduring the … nightmare,” she says. “Many of us are still homeless, still unemployed and still waiting [for much needed assistance].” But the fact that someone came through for her at this time is a welcomed comfort. “Knowing that there are people whom I have never met before who still care and truly want to help me, makes each day easier to swallow,” she says. |
Donna and Pete Sirangelo were almost buried by an avalanche of misfortune due to the snowball effect that personal health has on employment and employment has on health care.
It began when Pete became debilitated by severe back problems and was forced to leave his job of 14 years. His wife, Donna, also began to experience health and employment problems. First, Donna almost bled to death during what should have been a relatively simple surgery. Then, after a routine exam, Donna’s doctor became concerned about tests showing an excessive number of white blood cells in her body. The doctor sent her to a dentist because her gums were unusually swollen. The dentist discovered 14 abscesses in them. All of Donna’s teeth were removed to prevent further infection.
Shortly after this, Donna lost her job. The strain of unemployment, coupled with the physical and emotional stress of losing her teeth, sent Donna into a profound depression. Unable to bear seeing his wife in such pain,
Pete desperately searched for someone or something that would help pay for a new set of teeth. After several demoralizing dead ends, Pete says, “I went completely out
of my mind.”
Pete searched anxiously for ways to help his wife and eventually came across Modest Needs. Hesitant to raise his wife's hopes, he kept his efforts a secret as he went through with the |
Donna and Pete at home in Florida.
photo | courtesy of Brian Carlson
Donna plays with her dog.
photo | courtesy of Brian Carlson |
application process in case it was too good to be true. Modest Needs reviewed and approved the application within two days; it took another two days for the donors to fund the grant. One week after Pete applied to Modest Needs, he arranged an appointment for his wife at the dentist. It was only in the hour before the appointment that Pete told his wife they were going to get her new teeth.
Four months later, Donna and her family are steadily recovering from their ordeal. Donna is working as a manager at a bagel shop, and Pete is still ecstatic about seeing his wife smile again. |
A little goes a long way when it is pooled to meet someone’s immediate need. As a result, Modest Needs accepts and even celebrates small donations with the understanding that they are often a result of planning and diligence on the part of donors. As such, these donations are much more meaningful than the denomination suggests.
In February 2007, Taylor received three $1 bills and a handwritten letter in the mail. The return address on the envelope was illegible, and the person who wrote it never gave their name. But the anonymous gift by someone who could barely afford it struck Taylor. Reflecting how this fit within the common perception of what generosity means in an age of million-dollar bequests, Taylor wrote in his blog, “These days, ‘major gifts’ are all the rage. … Of course, I’m always grateful to learn that someone who has been very successful financially has made a large contribution to a worthy cause. … But as far as I’m concerned, those kinds of major gifts – the ones that make headlines – just aren’t in the same league as this anonymous $3 donation we received here on Monday. It’s not the amount that’s important. It’s the spirit of generosity behind it.”
While the $3 was unusual in some respects, Taylor sees it
as part of the everyday personal philanthropy Modest
Needs encourages. He says, “In reality, people practice the kind of philanthropy that we practice at Modest Needs – person-to-person philanthropy – every day.” |
Taylor received this letter in February 2007. |
“Dear Keith,
Happy New Year. Please excuse the paper.
I try to reuse it as often as possible.
I enclose $3 for [Modest Needs]. This is what
I spend on food each day if I can come up with enough. I decided to make strides towards good change by chewing Stride gum for a day, fasting and giving the money I saved to something worthwhile, which Modest Needs definitely is.
Thank you for helping bring light into people’s lives when the world seems dark.” |
| Modest Needs is simply a forum for such activity open to those “who have never thought of themselves as philanthropists to change [the lives of others].” While Taylor knew his idea would help others, the empowering repercussion of collective generosity continues to amaze him. |
Modest Needs Foundation
115 E 30th Street
Floor 1
New York, NY 10016
USA
212.463.7042
questions@modestneeds.org
www.modestneeds.org |
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