Good Company
I was working yesterday to add the Permian Basin Area Foundation's Annual Report to its website. The PBAF is one of my pro bono clients and they're quite appreciative of the time I donate to keeping their site current. The Annual Report is one of the more complicated maintenance items I attend to, and I rarely have time to actually read it, as I'm more focused on the process of transferring it from print to web.
However, I suppose it's human nature to notice your own name when it appears in print, and my eye did catch my wife's and mine on the 2003 donor list. One of our friends lost his father last year and we had made a small donation to one of the funds administered by the Foundation in his memory, in accordance with the family's request. So, ours was among the couple hundred or so names appearing on the list.
Also catching my eye -- and this is the real point of this post -- was this entry on the donor list: President and Mrs. George W. Bush.
The Foundation administers scores of funds and I have no idea to which one(s) the First Family made a donation. But I thought it was great that they would provide financial support to something that benefits this area. As far as I know, this was not covered by the press or even disclosed to it, and the Foundation's Annual Report has no other reference to it other than a normal listing in the donor's section.
I know it sounds weird, but seeing the President's name listed along with many other "regular" citizens of Midland is a simple reminder of what a great country (and community) I'm privileged to live in.
That's so neat.
When I used to write grant proposals, it was the neatest thing to read the PF990 tax forms and see who-gives-where, and especially seeing what local charities were supported by whom.
Posted by: TulipGirl at July 3, 2004 11:12 AMKudos to you for the pro bono work.
Posted by: George at July 3, 2004 05:37 PMMr. Freen, you're right of course, but that doesn't keep some of our elected officials (and other forms of "celebrity") from acting like royalty and expecting the same treatment. Our current prez has set new standards for non-pretentiousness, I think.
TulipGirl, it's also interesting to consider the charitable giving habits of different income levels in this country. Statistically speaking, the % of income given to charity goes DOWN as that income increases. I've never really understood this, but then I was raised to understand that giving away money to worthy causes is a responsibility.
George, I also believe we need to be giving away our time. It's really easier to write a check, but that's not always what's needed.
Posted by: Eric at July 3, 2004 05:55 PMAbout the publisher
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Right on, Eric!
Part of what makes this country great is that Mr. Bush IS a "regular" citizen. He may be this country's highest elected official, but officially he's no different than the rest of us.
It's entirely proper to call him "Mr. Bush," just like "Mr. Siegmund, "Mr. Freen", or anyone else.
Compare that to England with its "monarchy", for example. *rolls eyes*
Posted by: Mr. Freen at July 1, 2004 08:58 PM