Who Inspired You This Memorial Day?

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. It's a day for remembering a lot of people who have died, especially the military men and women who gave their lives for the preservation of freedom around the world. It can be a very somber day. It can also be a day filled with gratitude and nostalgia for others who have died and have left a lasting impact on our lives because of their good example.

At The St. Nicholas Project, I am remembering two individuals who worked at the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children and who have died: Mr. Thomas Fahner and Ms Connie Sanderson. I knew Tom when he was the Principal at the school and Connie when she was in the Development Department. Both made a lasting impression on me. Tom first introduced me to the great work which takes place at the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children when I was the newly appointed pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Bellows Falls. We regularly worked together with the religious formation of the Catholic children. Connie was involved with Development and her vivacious personality endeared me to the mission of donor relations which is at the heart of fundraising for charity.

Both of these noble souls died of cancer: Tom in 2015 and Connie in 2016. It was a heavy blow to their families and to the Kurn Hatti Homes family. However, I think of them with every blog post, every charitable event and every donor cultivation. Without their influence, The St. Nicholas Project would not exist and you would not be reading about them.

On this Memorial Day, who has influenced your life and motivated you to be charitable? Don't let the day go by without a happy memory and a prayer of thanksgiving for him or for her. You might even consider a donation to the Kurn Hattin Homes for Children in memory of that individual. As the old saying goes, "We live on the shoulders of those who've gone before us." Someday people will remember you and your charity for the boys and girls at Kurn Hattin. What a beautiful Memorial Day that will be!