Recently tears came to my eyes as I read about what influenced the late Larry Stewart, a Kansas City businessman, to anonymously give away an estimated $1,300,000 to causes that help those in need. The real story came out after Larry's death in February of 2007.
In an interview before he died, he was asked, "Is there some experience you had in your past that has greatly influenced you to want to help the needy?" He responded by telling this story. "I grew up in a poverty situation. It was very embarrassing. Once as a small boy I was desperately hungry. I went into a restaurant and ordered a large breakfast. It was wonderful. That is until it came time to pay the bill. I took the ticket to the cashier, and cried telling her I must have lost my money. The cashier was not fooled one bit. She called for the owner to come out. I was scared. The owner was not harsh. He encouraged me to tell my story. When I told him that I must have lost my money, he looked down at the floor where he had dropped a twenty dollar bill. He then reached down and picked it up and handed it to me, and said, "Here it is Larry. You, no doubt, dropped it right here." The cashier looked at her boss with astonishment on her face. Then she smiled, and took my new twenty dollar bill. She took the cost of the breakfast out of it, and gave me the change."
In telling this story, author Stephanie Thompson wrote, "That act of kindness inspired Steward's generosity. Sometimes he worked with social agencies, but often he roamed the streets, handing out cash to those in need." Once he was asked why he gave cash to poor people . He responded, "Poor people need, not only a meal, but respect. A cash gift is something people do not have to beg for; nor do they have to get in line for." To learn more about what makes a person generous go to the website: secretsantausa.com.
In an interview before he died, he was asked, "Is there some experience you had in your past that has greatly influenced you to want to help the needy?" He responded by telling this story. "I grew up in a poverty situation. It was very embarrassing. Once as a small boy I was desperately hungry. I went into a restaurant and ordered a large breakfast. It was wonderful. That is until it came time to pay the bill. I took the ticket to the cashier, and cried telling her I must have lost my money. The cashier was not fooled one bit. She called for the owner to come out. I was scared. The owner was not harsh. He encouraged me to tell my story. When I told him that I must have lost my money, he looked down at the floor where he had dropped a twenty dollar bill. He then reached down and picked it up and handed it to me, and said, "Here it is Larry. You, no doubt, dropped it right here." The cashier looked at her boss with astonishment on her face. Then she smiled, and took my new twenty dollar bill. She took the cost of the breakfast out of it, and gave me the change."In telling this story, author Stephanie Thompson wrote, "That act of kindness inspired Steward's generosity. Sometimes he worked with social agencies, but often he roamed the streets, handing out cash to those in need." Once he was asked why he gave cash to poor people . He responded, "Poor people need, not only a meal, but respect. A cash gift is something people do not have to beg for; nor do they have to get in line for." To learn more about what makes a person generous go to the website: secretsantausa.com.
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