2021 Healy $100: Experiencing the Gift of Giving

Healy Financial |

“For it is in giving that we receive.” ~Saint Francis of Assisi

An annual Healy Group tradition since 2013, has been to give each Healy Group employee a $100 bill with the charge to go help someone or some group with it. There are no questions asked and there is no accountability.

If an employee felt their family needed it, they could certainly keep it. Fortunately, we do hear some amazing stories of how employees creatively care for people around them. It is a wonderful moment in our culture.

This year, Healy Group continued our annual tradition of the Healy $100.

I am grateful to once again share heartwarming stories from colleagues about their giving experience with the Healy $100 in 2021. These stories are representative of Healy Group's values and remind us how to give unto others as Christ has given to us.

 

The Healy Spirit

Inspiration for the Healy $100 came from a client who shared that he gave his employees $100 to support causes of their choice. When I shared with other owners that I was thinking about doing something similar at Healy Group, they all supported the idea. This allows the Healy Spirit to move beyond our office into our local and global communities.

It warms my heart to hear these stories and the love that our employees put into choosing how to share their money. They embody the true spirit of Christmas.

Here are a few of the stories:

A colleague observed that although many people are back to work, restaurants and their employees continue to struggle. Some of our local restaurants cannot open or operate within limited hours because they have difficulty staffing their operations. "My wife and I decided the staff that does come to work might be in need of extra cash, so we left our usual 20 percent tip and added a $100 on top," he said.

Another colleague, who is a frequent Walmart shopper, gave her $100 to a greeter who always acknowledges her with a welcoming smile and thanks her for shopping at Walmart when she exits. "I wanted to share my Healy $100 with her to let her know that I appreciate her dedication and pleasantness, and it really makes a difference," she said.

My colleague's daughter helped her family determine where to spend the Healy $100 this year. They decided to use the Healy $100 to purchase new director chairs for her daughter's Orchestra directors, who are public school teachers with no excess funds. One of the directors did not have a chair, and the other director's chair was 20-years old. My colleague and her husband made up the difference beyond the Healy $100.

 

Caring for Others

When my colleague's nephew, who was a year old at the time, was in the hospital in Fort Wayne for special care, it was a very challenging experience for the child and his parents. "Young children are scared and distracted. Older children are scared and bored and the parents are at their wits' end," my colleague explained. Kate's Kart, a non-profit organization in Fort Wayne, provides books for children of all ages during their stay in the hospital. "Kate's Kart was a blessing to my brother and sister-in-law. I decided to give my $100 to Kate's Kart, and I matched it," she shared, "It was amazing!"

Another colleague matched and donated her Healy $100 to two local non-profits: Cultivate, a local non-profit that provides food to food-insecure children in the community, and the other to the Salvation Army Kroc Center Angel Tree program, which provides $50 Old Navy or Kohl's gift cards to children in need in our community to purchase clothing. Employees are under no obligation to support the Angel Tree program. However, at our employees' requests, Healy Group asked for 20 more angel tags than it had last year. Each tag represents a child in the community. "It felt very good to be able to provide additional support to these organizations that support the welfare of the children in our community," my colleague shared.

A former employee from many years ago has been incarcerated for the last two years after multiple DUIs. She's a very intelligent person, graduating cum laude from college; however, her choices were not very smart. I can't imagine what life in jail is like, but COVID has made it even worse. Multiple lockdowns have made a significant part of her time like solitary confinement. Another colleague and I have sent many books this past year, including the Bible and spiritual reading. Along with this, we have sent many history, philosophy, and literary works that she has voraciously consumed. In her emails to us, she's made it clear that all the time for reading and reflection has made a profound impact, and she is very intent on changing her life when she is released. She is allowed to have money in jail for incidentals, so I sent my Healy $100 to her to make her life a little better until she is released.

 

Beyond Borders

During their frequent visits to Haiti, another colleague shared that he and his wife, who is also my colleague, have built some lasting friendships. The business, and livelihood, of one of their friends has been hit hard by decreased travel in Haiti and the ongoing instability in the country. This is coupled with rising inflation and the daily stress about the safety of his family. He and his wife have two young children. "We decided we would both share our Healy $100 with our friend to help with their daily needs," he said.

 

Wonderful Little Sparks of Light

Observing a woman and her young daughter in Walmart, my colleague overheard the little girl asking for a baby doll in the toy section. The mother explained that they could not afford it. Her basket had a few items in it, so she felt like she was telling the truth. When the daughter suggested maybe Santa could bring her the doll, the mother replied, "I don't know if Santa will be coming this year, we can only hope." After hearing this, my colleague pulled the mother aside and asked her if she could give the little girl money to buy the doll. "The little girl was ecstatic and the mother thanked me repeatedly," she said. She then gave the balance from the $100 to the mother and asked her to make sure her little girl had some other gifts under the tree from Santa. "I know the Healy $100 made one little girl and her mother very happy this Christmas," she said.

A colleague reflected, “The Healy $100 creates wonderful little sparks of light from giving. It gives us an opportunity to think about how we can make someone else's world better.”

Or in my own words, just as God was lavishly generous with us when he sent his only son into a broken world to restore it, any generous act of ours is participating in that same generosity. These are opportunities for others to see Christ shine in a very challenging time in the modern world.

When we choose gratitude and thankfulness and then try to make things better for those around us, we all, in our small ways, are making the world a little bit better place.

This holiday season, Healy Financial wishes you and your families a Christmas filled with many blessings.

About the Author:

Preuss Prof

Rich Preuss

Rich, the President and an Owner of Healy Group, has been a financial advisor for over 39 years. His overarching goal in his work with his clients is to help them connect their money to their values. He believes that his work with his clients isn't just about rates of return, asset allocation, and maximizing wealth; it is about helping them create a better life for those they love and creating a better world.

Please note: The charitable entities and/or fundraising opportunities described herein are not endorsed by, or affiliated with Cetera or its affiliates. Our philanthropic interests are personal to us and are not reviewed, sponsored, or approved by Cetera.