Giving Begins With Generosity, Not Riches
My 7-year-old son hadn’t been having a great day. Earlier, we had endured a trip to the dentist, and when we told him we were headed to watch the York University basketball game, he wasn’t thrilled. We were watching one of his favorite dinosaur movies and, flat out, he didn’t want to go anywhere. This was unusual, because my 7-year-old always wants to go to anything happening at the university — so that tells you what kind of day he was having.
To make matters worse, when we got there, he was having trouble settling in with the groups of kids about his age. He looked at me and said, “Dad, I want to go home.” But I was committed to watching our Panthers play and asked if we could stay just a bit longer.
So there he sat next to me, waiting patiently.
Halftime arrived, and the student government at YU was running some games for prizes. This particular game asked the crowd for random items, and if anyone had the item, they could run to the scorer’s table and turn it in for a prize.
The first item called was a paper clip. Nothing happened for a long time — because who brings a paper clip to a basketball game?
The second item was a tube of ChapStick, and several students scrambled to get there first, because many students carry ChapStick in November in Nebraska.
The third item was a trifold wallet, which I happened to have. I quickly pulled the wallet out of my pocket, handed it to my 7-year-old, and said, “Go!” By this time, he understood the game a bit better, so he took off running down the bleachers and across the gym floor.
But he didn’t get there first. A 6'4" college student named Ryan beat him to it. I thought, “Oh man, did I just add to his bad day?” As my son walked back, I said to myself—but out loud—“It’s probably time to leave.”
That’s when Ryan ran up behind my son, tapped him on the shoulder, and handed him the prize he had won.
My heart exploded. Here was Ryan, without being asked, giving of himself to bless the life of someone else. And that someone was my son. It made him feel seen. It made him feel special. It was simple. It was small. It was kindness. That little act changed the whole day for my son — and for me. I know it will be something my son remembers forever, and so will I.
I work in fundraising here at York University. I’ve only been doing it for about five years, and I have mentors who have helped me figure things out. I’ll share two quick lessons they’ve taught me.
In my first year, I told one of them, “I need to find a bunch of rich people.” He looked at me and said, “No, you need to find generous people.” They really are two different things. Not all rich people are generous, and in my experience, many of our most generous donors aren’t actually rich.
Another mentor told me, “People give for two reasons: to change lives and to save lives.” Ultimately, if a person is convinced that giving something away will forever impact someone’s life for the better, they are compelled to give.
We’ve reached what some people call the season of giving. Of course, there are a million causes to support these days, and I am convinced that giving has a profound impact, no matter what time of year it is.
Thank you to Ryan for blessing my son’s life, and thank you to all who make the conscious effort to give.
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. — Proverbs 11:25
— Jared Stark '01, Executive Vice President