Unexpected Gift from an Unexpected Donor
A story surfaced this week that warmed our hearts in this frigid New England winter.
A Vermont man, Ronald Read, bequeathed over $6 million to his local hospital and library. The gifts to the hospital and library were the largest single donations they’d ever received- but that’s not why this story inspires us.
Read was a janitor and lived a very frugal, simple life. His acquired wealth stunned the small Vermont community where he lived and worked. Read spent his life amassing a fortune of which he never touched; saving it all to leave for a community and family he loved.
Image left: Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where Read donated the majority of his fortune.
This story about Read from the Huffington Post was featured shortly after Adrianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, announced a new initiative to feature more positive news.
“I believe that human beings, all of us, are a mixture of good and evil, if you want, and that the more we can encourage the better angels — it’s like strengthening a muscle — the more that will be the dominant behavior,” Adrianna said.
We couldn’t agree more.
