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Philanthropic powerhouse
by Mary Gooding, Daily Journal
December 18, 2002
Philanthropy is a big word with a simple meaning: Spend some of your money so that you can help those who are less fortunate. Although that sounds easy, it is fraught with questions. How much can you afford to give? How do you know that your money will help those who are really in need and not the administrators of the charity? Why should you part with any of your hard-earned cash when it amounts to the proverbial "drop in the bucket" in solving long-term societal problems?
In the past few weeks, two very dissimilar people have brought philanthropy to the front page. The first is Ruth Lilly, the last surviving great-granddaughter of the founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceuticals. She is an unmarried billionaire who is known as much for her reclusiveness as for her generosity. She has lived most of her 87 years near Indianapolis, and her name is featured on schools, medical centers, museums, orchestra halls, and the zoo.
Something that very few people knew about her is that she is a poet. She was the student editor of her high school literary magazine, and she had won prizes at that time for her poetry. Four of her poems were published in the New York Times in 1993 under the pen name R. Lyly, but that was the extent of her writing career. She often sent her poems to the Chicago-based Modern Poetry Association, which publishes Poetry Magazine. Her work was consistently, but kindly, rejected by the editors who did not know her identity.
Then Miss Lilly stunned the literary world with this news: She was leaving $100 million to this very small and mostly unknown poetry house. Suddenly there were two distinct groups clamoring to be heard over the sound of all that hard cash. The first group proclaimed "Bravo" -- that someone would support a form of literature that does nothing but bring beauty and thoughtfulness to the world. The second group saw this enormous gift as a waste of money that could be better spent helping people who need food, clothing, shelter and medical attention.
The moral of this story is that if you are a billionaire philanthropist, who can do whatever you darn well please with your money.
The second person making headlines lately is Bono, the lead singer for the rock band U2. He is one of the most socially conscious and politically active musicians in the world, and he recently visited the Midwest for a 7-day "Heart of America" tour. He stopped at colleges, universities, newspaper offices and radio stations to "promote awareness of the AIDS crisis in Africa." His message was sobering as he explained that "two and a half million Africans are going to die next year from AIDS, and there will be 25 million AIDS orphans by the end of the decade."
Bono, an Irishman, believes that the United States should put its vast resources behind the fight to save Africans from the AIDS epidemic. He said that he came to the Midwest because we are hard-working, common-sense people, and we should tell our government to help these people who desperately need billions of dollars for education and medical care.
As with the response to Ruth Lilly, there were two camps that voiced opinions to Bono's message. The first response was that certainly the U.S. should help; if we can afford a multi-billion dollar defense program, we surely can help alleviate the suffering of innocent people. The other group barely looked up from their Christmas shopping to question the wisdom of sending money to a faraway place when there is so much suffering in their own communities.
The moral of Bono's story is that if you are a well-known celebrity, you can travel the world (with first-class accommodations, of course) to spread your message of philanthropy to the masses. One cannot help but wonder, however, if Bono shouldn't spend his time talking to people who could easily send millions of dollars to Africa if they were so inclined. Has Bono visited Hollywood lately or perhaps Manhattan's Upper East Side?
Here's an idea: Bono should schedule a visit with Ruth Lilly to discuss an update of her will. As a songwriter he is a poet too, and they would likely have an interesting conversation. Who knows what his message combined with her money could accomplish?
A mother and former schoolteacher, Kelly Carroll is a regular Journal columnist from Bourbonnais. She can be contacted through this newspaper.
Philanthropic powerhouse
by Mary Gooding, Daily Journal
December 18, 2002
Philanthropy is a big word with a simple meaning: Spend some of your money so that you can help those who are less fortunate. Although that sounds easy, it is fraught with questions. How much can you afford to give? How do you know that your money will help those who are really in need and not the administrators of the charity? Why should you part with any of your hard-earned cash when it amounts to the proverbial "drop in the bucket" in solving long-term societal problems?
In the past few weeks, two very dissimilar people have brought philanthropy to the front page. The first is Ruth Lilly, the last surviving great-granddaughter of the founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceuticals. She is an unmarried billionaire who is known as much for her reclusiveness as for her generosity. She has lived most of her 87 years near Indianapolis, and her name is featured on schools, medical centers, museums, orchestra halls, and the zoo.
Something that very few people knew about her is that she is a poet. She was the student editor of her high school literary magazine, and she had won prizes at that time for her poetry. Four of her poems were published in the New York Times in 1993 under the pen name R. Lyly, but that was the extent of her writing career. She often sent her poems to the Chicago-based Modern Poetry Association, which publishes Poetry Magazine. Her work was consistently, but kindly, rejected by the editors who did not know her identity.
Then Miss Lilly stunned the literary world with this news: She was leaving $100 million to this very small and mostly unknown poetry house. Suddenly there were two distinct groups clamoring to be heard over the sound of all that hard cash. The first group proclaimed "Bravo" -- that someone would support a form of literature that does nothing but bring beauty and thoughtfulness to the world. The second group saw this enormous gift as a waste of money that could be better spent helping people who need food, clothing, shelter and medical attention.
The moral of this story is that if you are a billionaire philanthropist, who can do whatever you darn well please with your money.
The second person making headlines lately is Bono, the lead singer for the rock band U2. He is one of the most socially conscious and politically active musicians in the world, and he recently visited the Midwest for a 7-day "Heart of America" tour. He stopped at colleges, universities, newspaper offices and radio stations to "promote awareness of the AIDS crisis in Africa." His message was sobering as he explained that "two and a half million Africans are going to die next year from AIDS, and there will be 25 million AIDS orphans by the end of the decade."
Bono, an Irishman, believes that the United States should put its vast resources behind the fight to save Africans from the AIDS epidemic. He said that he came to the Midwest because we are hard-working, common-sense people, and we should tell our government to help these people who desperately need billions of dollars for education and medical care.
As with the response to Ruth Lilly, there were two camps that voiced opinions to Bono's message. The first response was that certainly the U.S. should help; if we can afford a multi-billion dollar defense program, we surely can help alleviate the suffering of innocent people. The other group barely looked up from their Christmas shopping to question the wisdom of sending money to a faraway place when there is so much suffering in their own communities.
The moral of Bono's story is that if you are a well-known celebrity, you can travel the world (with first-class accommodations, of course) to spread your message of philanthropy to the masses. One cannot help but wonder, however, if Bono shouldn't spend his time talking to people who could easily send millions of dollars to Africa if they were so inclined. Has Bono visited Hollywood lately or perhaps Manhattan's Upper East Side?
Here's an idea: Bono should schedule a visit with Ruth Lilly to discuss an update of her will. As a songwriter he is a poet too, and they would likely have an interesting conversation. Who knows what his message combined with her money could accomplish?
A mother and former schoolteacher, Kelly Carroll is a regular Journal columnist from Bourbonnais. She can be contacted through this newspaper.
