Giving Thanks to Those Who Help

We all hear about folks who live their lives with the cards they are dealt and make the best of bad situations.  Everyone has a story to tell.

There is nothing dramatic about my story.  I was fortunate enough to be born with an IQ well above average.  Unfortunately, my family did not have the money to invest in that IQ.  Fortunately, there were folks out there who were willing to put up money to allow me to get a higher education.

Graduating from high school in 1964, I had a scholarship to Wayne State University.  It covered all my tuition ($312 per year if you can believe it) with a little left over for books.  A part-time job at the JL Hudson Company downtown got me through the university with a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Technology from the School of Medicine.  I was the first college graduate among all of my many cousins.

Without that scholarship, I am sure that I would have been relegated to some low-paying nine-to-five job.  My brain probably would have atrophied from non-use.  Let's face it.  Not much is available without some advanced degree or training after high school.

I enjoyed my work in the laboratory at Detroit General, but after leaving to have my children and be a stay-at-home mom, I knew I did not want to return to a hospital to work.  Once my children were in school, I went back to get my MBA in Finance and ultimately ended up at West Bloomfield Town Hall for my second career.

Several years ago, when it came time to update my trust documents, I decided that I wanted to set up a scholarship fund at Wayne for future deserving students.  I put in a bequest in the trust doc and notified them of my decision. 

But, after retiring and thinking about it, I decided that I wanted to start funding the scholarship now, versus waiting until I was dead.  I think it would give me pleasure to see someone benefit from it before I go.

Yesterday, I received another letter from the University thanking me for the gift.  Well, I should be the one thanking them.  Without that original scholarship in 1964, I probably would not be sitting here writing this blog.  I would never have gone to college without that money.  And I would not have a trust document to update.  So, a BIG thank you to Wayne State.

If you are a Wayne graduate and are interested in giving money, here is the website information:  http://giving.wayne.edu/planned/bequest.php