“It’s Always GivingTuesday”
An Unexpected Gift
A few years ago, a friend of our work reached out to me on the phone in early October. He had been following our work for years, always spoke kindly about it, but had never made a financial investment.
As we talked he started asking me questions about how The Hope Effect was doing financially at the moment. More specifically, he wanted to know how GivingTuesday was shaping up.
I told him of our progress in securing matching donors, what the funding was going to be used for in the coming year, and what early indicators were showing us. This was going to be the biggest ask and biggest goal in our GivingTuesday history.
He listened intently, nodded along verbally, and said he'd been meeting with his accountant and was looking for the right opportunity.
Thanks Bob Vila
The Joys Of A Finished Project
I grew up watching Bob Vila and This Old House. He became a role model for me and an introduction into the world of construction. Being the only son my dad naturally included me in house repairs around the house. Then when I was 12 he bought me a torch, solder, some copper pipes and a Bob Vila book on how to do plumbing. Together we converted our house to copper lines then we tackled the drain lines converting them to ABS and PVC.
After getting married we bought a 100 year old house. I cut my teeth on tiling, wiring, and carpentry as we remodeled every square inch of that house. It was somewhere in that timeframe that I told my friend, "I want to build my own house someday."