I'm not wealthy. I make my living as a mathematics professor at Northern Virginia Community College, plus two other part-time jobs, one as an editor and the other as a janitor. I earn in total a little over $100,000 per year. For the past ten years I’ve been giving away more than half of my income.
My message to the world is quite simple: Support a local charity as well as an international one. If we all did this, we could make a better world for all 6.5 billion inhabitants.
The two organizations I support the most are Northern Virginia Community College and Habitat for Humanity. At Habitat I work with construction teams to build quality housing for low income families. I gave $100,000 to pay for materials to build a Habitat for Humanity house in Northern Virginia.
When I went to college, I had no money, and the scholarship I received made all the difference. Wanting to give back is what got me started as a giver. I’ve given a number of scholarships to the community college where I teach and to the college where I earned an undergraduate degree, and I see how lives are changed.
It’s important to me to give my time as well. I have taught the GED class and I continue to serve the evening meal one night per week at the Central Union Mission, where once a month I buy 100 meals for the homeless.
When I was on ABC's 20/20 in 2005, it led to a flood of appeals from people all over the world. It’s been painful to be asked to help children with medical problems and people in great need. But I know the coverage has helped Habitat and the college, so it’s felt worthwhile.
I’m 61 now, and my goal is to have given away a million dollars by the time I retire. I’m confident I’ll make it. | South | 60 plus Years Old | Under $1M | at least 50% | Profession | | Education | Social Justice | Passion | Joy |
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