As a child growing up in central Kentucky, I was keenly aware that my parents were always quietly helping those in need. It wasn’t until a few days ago, however, that I made the connection between a particular program my father initiated many years ago at his business and the Change the Truth fund I have just started.
My father owned and operated a scrap metal yard for 57 years. Many of his employees were African Americans, struggling to provide for their families. Back in the fifties, he established his “tuition plan.” Here’s what he told me about it:
“I was always interested in the education problem. After the local universities opened their doors to black children, I started asking some of our employees about their kid’s education. As a result of these discussions, I decided to offer to pay tuition to a state university for any child of an employee who had worked for the firm at least five years. I did not keep a record of our successes, but I remember once that a son of a press operator surprised me by graduating with a degree in engineering and going to work for Lexmark, and there was another engineering graduate who got a job in Cincinnati. Though many of the children dropped out, some years we had as many as five or six in the program.”
The children I met in Uganda are able to attend school for free until they get to secondary school. The fees at this point vary, but most are in the $100 to $300 per year range. I asked Michael what the fees are for the children who attend schools in the area around St. Mary Kevin’s, and he sent me this response:
“The secondary school fees are US $95 per term, and we have three terms in the year which makes it US $285, and I am sure if everything goes well, the children will be happy.”
As I was wandering around the grounds of the orphanage one day, an extraordinarily poised and beautiful young woman named Josephine introduced herself to me and started tagging along with me as I made pictures. With tears in her eyes at one point, she basically pleaded her case to me. She looked me square in the face and told me that her father had died and that her mother could not afford the fees that she now needs to attend school. She told me, in nearly flawless English, that she wants to be a lawyer or a teacher. She was taking a chance with me, though she never asked directly if I could or would help her.
Okay, so now I am making an appeal. Josephine and others like her need our help. Please consider making a contribution to the Change the Truth fund, if you have not done so already. Click on the link to your right, the one that says “donate now” and you’ll see where you can send a check.
My dad told me he mailed his check yesterday. How cool is that? He’s still teaching me… and still setting a tender example of kindness, generosity and compassion.
...From generation to generation.
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