One of summer’s guilty pleasures is sitting by a body of water with a magazine, which is exactly what I was doing this past weekend. As I sat on the dock reading this month’s issue of Town & Country, a magazine notorius for covering the lifestyles of the rich and famous…I was thrilled and delighted by the editor’s letter and comments.

I must confess that I enjoy reading this as the best form of pure escapism but when Editor, wrote about a recent philanthropic summit that the magazine hosted, I found myself inspired.

The editor said, “Philanthrophy is already the fastest growing segment of the United States economy. Its contribution to the gross domestic product is, in  fact, larger than that of the Armed Forces.”

As the founder of a non-profit and the current Executive Director of another I can honestly say that I have seen these levels of generosity first hand. It is one of the greatest privledges of my career. At the end of the day, it is not about money but about purpose and compassion. It is not simply the Bill Gates of this world that have the ability to create these changes….each of us hold the same power. Our legacy is only as great as our willingness to act.

We may not be The Greatest Generation but I will happily be lumped into The Age of Philanthrophy any day.

Charity Matters.

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