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Teach children to care for each other at early age
Fort Collins Coloradoan
March 8, 2003
Columns

At United Way, we believe that philanthropy is more than a gift or responsibility; it’s a cornerstone of our society.

"We have a societal responsibility to take care of one another if we want the right to comment on the direction of that society," Sara Durnil said, a volunteer on a pilot effort to teach philanthropy in daycare.

"I want our society to be full of values such as giving and generosity as well as good economics, safety and patriotism. And this starts with our children. At a younger age they absorb the lessons more easily and it becomes part of who they are. When it becomes inherent in youth, it becomes inherent in society."

But how important is teaching philanthropy to our children? By most standards, Fort Collins already is a great place to grow up and live in.

"The people who don’t have a great quality of life aren’t always visible, so although it looks like we have a wonderful community, it keeps a lot of us in rose colored glasses," Durnil said. "So many times people wait until they need something before they have empathy. Yet children can be raised to be sympathetic to their community without having to go through a firsthand experience. And that will help us maintain the quality of life we have in this community."

Growing up with philanthropy is tremendously valuable both to the individual and their society. A remarkable example of this is Fort Collins’ Sutherland family.

Before immigrating to the States, Scottish-born Tom Sutherland saw generosity in his father who, although a relatively poor farmer, freely helped people fix equipment. Sutherland continued the philosophy by giving to United Way through payroll deduction when he taught at CSU. Then, in the 1980s, while working in Beirut, he was taken and held hostage – for six-and-a-half long years.

Some years after his release and the hero’s welcome he received in Fort Collins, Iran awarded the family significant compensation. Instead of enjoying all the money themselves, they set up a family Foundation.

"We’re really blessed to be able to give back," added Kit Sutherland, his daughter who runs the Foundation and is continuing the family tradition of philanthropy. "The more we teach our children about giving and empathy, the more productive they become in society. I learned from my father’s generosity and interest in the community as well as the community’s support of him. I was lucky to see so much kindness."

Tom Sutherland, twice Honorary Chairman of United Way, now dedicates much of his time to giving to his community.

"It’s a privilege to be able to give in Larimer County," he said. Having received so much community support after his hostage ordeal and giving away much of his compensation, he’s in a great position to say: "It’s more blessed to give than receive."

And there’s another reason that makes it so worthwhile, according to his daughter.

"He’s just having so much fun giving it away."

-By Meg Brown a.k.a.: Sophie Waghorn

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